Chuck vs The Gauntlet
by shortpinoyguy
Summary: Team Chuck, along with an ally, contend with a familiar enemy who has taken the life of one of their own. Will they be able to stop this person and avenge a fallen comrade? Story takes place in one day and follows Chuck vs. The Prime Directive.
1. The Call

**Port of Los Angeles Tuesday 11:30 p.m.**

All seems well until heavy footsteps stomping on asphalt are heard, as well as the sound of a loud male voice echoing in the night air.

"Bryce, where's Chuck!" screamed Casey running across the dock holding a handgun in his right hand, a MK Sniper Rifle strapped on his back, and wearing black tactical gear.

The burly NSA agent runs up to Bryce who is assisting Travis in order to keep him on his feet as they, along with his family, are running towards him. Casey sees that the 4th member of Team Chuck Travis Riley is badly injured and looking considerably weak as he has trouble standing upright. His wife Shannon, who is carrying their baby son Wesley, is following close behind with her two daughters in tow exuding a look of fear, disbelief, and uncertainty as to what is happening around them.

"He's not with you!" screamed back Bryce. "Chuck told me he was going to find you!" he added.

Casey quickly reaches Bryce who immediately stops and slowly eases Travis on the ground in between the two men. As the two men kneel down to check on him, Travis' wife and kids hover over them greatly concerned about his health and well being. Shannon comforts her two daughters as tears stream down their cheeks all-the-while rocking her baby son Wesley who is crying up a storm.

Shut the kid up he repeated over and over again in his head. The sound of baby Wesley just added to the all out chaos that has been happening not only at the Port, but all around Los Angeles. Casey places his left hand on Travis' left shoulder as he scans him over for any additional injuries. From the sound of his heavy breathing, he assesses that he may have suffered several broken ribs.

Travis, even in his severely weakened and injured state, tries to get up but Bryce stops him from doing so. As he tries to get up, he keeps repeating the same sentence over and over again. "I got to go help Chuck." he painfully responded in his disoriented state.

"No, you're not." Bryce firmly stated. "We're going to get you some help man. Just lie still." he quickly added glancing up at Travis' wife.

Things have most definitely not been going well ever since Chuck got the call this morning and with Sarah and now Chuck's whereabouts unknown the situation has gone critical. A number of innocent people have either been injured or killed and all because of one man. A man who was released or should I say was busted out of a C.I.A. detention facility by he, Sarah and Chuck because all other options didn't pan out.

The series of events that have led up to this moment have been both physically, mentally, and emotionally draining. From the word go Team Chuck has been running through hoops in all different directions thoughout the city in order to rescue one of their own. Casey shook his head knowing not only how exposed they were individually and that by separating the team it gave the perp a big advantage.

Casey's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by Bryce who quickly points up behind him.

As he turns around, he spots Chuck in the distance frantically running up an orange crane that has two arms extending above the water. From the look of how high the monstrous structure is he surmises that its around 50-100ft high and that is where Chuck is possibly going to end up.

"Stay with him!" ordered Casey looking directly at Bryce.

The adrenaline is pumping in Casey's veins as he get up, turns around, and sprints towards the nearest metal crate, which is just a few yards ahead. He sprints towards the crate with purpose all-the while locating Chuck who is being chased up the stairs by the perp who deviously planned the entire operation. An operation that would have succeeded if wasn't for Chuck's quick thinking.

The newly appointed Colonel reaches the metal crate and immediately climbs up and inevitably rolls on top of it all in one fell swoop. When he gets up he rushes over to the end and kneels down reaching around him in order to ready his MK Sniper rifle. He readies himself and looks through the scope searching for not only Chuck but also the perp who is chasing him.

As he's searching, gun shots are heard causing him to tense up a bit. Stay alive Bartowski or I'll kill you myself he thinks to himself. After a brief moment, he has Chuck in his sights and from the looks of things his location is on the orange extended crane arm above the water. From his scope, he can make out Chuck taking cover as shots are fired at him but thankfully miss.

Casey is unable to get a clear shot because of obstacles blocking his way. He feels a sense of immediate frustration as he's helpless to do anything at this point. All he can do is keep the perp and Chuck in his sights until he can find a clear opening to get a shot off. The situation is intense as he sees through his scope Chuck suddenly being held at gun point by the way he is holding his hands up but the perp is not in sight.

_Come on show yourself_. As Casey grips his MK Sniper Rifle tighter every part of his body tightens up to the point where he's breathing harder through his nose. He watches as Chuck backs up to the edge of the arm crane and as he does looks down at the water below. Casey keeps his scope trained in the area where the perp is in relation to the location of where Chuck is standing and waits for his chance to take the shot.

After much waiting, he has his chance as the perp steps out and pulls the trigger. In a matter of seconds, the perp goes down from a pinpoint head shot but his victory is short lived as he sees Chuck's body fall to the water below. Casey springs to his feet, jumps off the metal crate, running full force, drops his weapon add the edge of the dock, and swims over to the area of the water where he fell into.

He takes a deep breathe and dives down. Seconds pass by but there is no sign whatsoever of Casey retrieving Chuck from under the water. The stillness of the water is eerily haunting but is suddenly disrupted as Casey right hand shoots out of the water. He has his left arm under his lanky teammates left arm and over his chest as he swims him over to a wooden dock just below the concrete dock.

"Hold on I got you!" he states considerably tired and out of breathe.

Casey eventually reaches the wooden dock. As tired as he is, he pushes with all his strength Chuck's body on to it. He pulls himself up and immediately checks his life signs and for breathing, which there are none. He does see a bullet graze to the right side of his forehead near his temple. Its at this point, he begins C.P.R. because there is no pulse and he's not breathing. As this is happening, Casey is screaming at Chuck.

"Don't you die on me Bartowski!" he screamed. The chest compressions and breathes continue as a number of sirens are heard in the distance.

XXX

**Seaside City of Santa Monica Tuesday 5:30a.m.**

Its peacefully quiet without hardly anyone around except for 2 people. Chuck Bartowski and Travis Riley are jogging side by side on a 5 mile run from The Santa Monica Stairs to The Pier, down to the beach path and then back then turning back around heading back to The Santa Monica Stairs. It had become a daily ritual for the two men ever since Travis became a member of Team Chuck.

He was a bit hesitant at first because Chuck never really considered himself a runner. Granted, he would run to and from dangerous situations but that didn't really count as exercise. In any case, after the first couple of days experiencing cramped legs he grown used to it to. Chuck and Travis always kept a nice comfortable pace with each other neither one having the mindset that it's a competition in order to see who can get to the location first.

Chuck is wearing a his light blue faux pas shirt with the picture of a dog above the 2 words, adidas black track pants with white stripes running down the side, sporting always on feet his favorite pair of chucks, and on his head a ball cap turned backwards with the dodger logo on it. Travis, on the other hand, is wearing a black shirt with the words Kneel Before Zod and the picture of Zod's head above it. Grey Nike track pants and running shoes to match. He isn't wearing a hat but he is however has two ear buds in both ears connected to his Ipod that is strapped to his right arm.

As Travis is jogging along listening to selected tunes from his Ipod, Chuck reflects back on the evens of the past 2 months since he and Sarah got engaged. They first person they informed was Ellie who was ecstatic jumping up and down hugging Chuck first then Sarah. While she was in her embrace, Devon, in his own awesome way, gave him a side hug and then the obligatory fist tap to which Chuck reciprocated.

After Ellie and Awesome were informed Sarah shared the news her own family. They too were ecstatic to where her father Jeremiah Wexler said its about time as he slapped him on the shoulder giving his soon to be son-in-law his hearty congratulations. Its was at that point word spread like wildfire to the point where Sarah and Chuck received phone calls, as well as text messages from their friends congratulating them on the getting engaged.

He remembers Sarah, her mother Emily, Cassidy, Ellie and Mary going into full on wedding planning mode something of which he gladly left those 4 women to handle. All he had to do is to show up at the wedding and pick a best men, which he knew would be Morgan. However, upon asking Morgan to be his best men he declined to his surprise and made his offer or in this case his plea to be the one to marry he and Sarah because he is after all an ordained minister. The role of best men went to Awesome.

It would be a tough sell for Sarah but she reluctantly agreed. In any case, after careful thought on when they would actually be getting married he and Sarah picked June 19th, 2010 on a Saturday afternoon in the same place that Ellie and Devon were married at. Speaking of Devon and Ellie, they informed Chuck he would be an uncle and that bit of news caused him to flip his lid upon hearing it.

The wedding plans concerning Sarah would be one woman short as she and Devon went up to visit his parents to not only inform "The Awesomes" they are going to be grandparents, but spend a week up there with them. He received a call from Ellie yesterday that they were having fun and coming home at the end of the week. When it came to his own business, he took 3 days just because he can and when it came to leaving someone permanently in charge who better to choose than his secretary Beverly Kim.

Chuck's thoughts were abruptly interrupted by the sound of Travis' voice. He turns his head over to his teammate and friend as they are jogging back towards the Santa Monica Stairs. "You excited about getting married dude?" he asks a bit out of breathe.

"What do you think Trav?" he responded back with a huge grin on his face.

"I think…" Trav pauses for a moment to avoid stepping on dog poop. "…I think you two are going to make the best married spy couple since Mr. and Mrs. Hart.

Chuck glances at Travis upon hearing the comparison to the fictitious tv couple. "Mr. and Mrs. Hart weren't spies. They were amateur detectives who solved crimes." he says.

"That's beside the point." replied back Travis. "All I'm saying is you two are so made for each other its ridiculous." he added.

Chuck could only responds with laughter at what Travis said. The two men eventually reach The Santa Monica Stairs and after a moment or two they reach the very top. Travis bends down to stretch his legs and as he does that Chuck puts his hands on his head in order to breathe in more oxygen. Chuck looks down and is about to talk to Travis again when someone grabs him from behind causing him to let out a girlish scream.

Travis quickly looks up to see a man dressed in black with a mask on holding Chuck at gunpoint. "Don't move or this man get's it." threatened the masked man in a low gravely tone.

XXX

**Top of The Santa Monica Stairs Tuesday 6:00 a.m.**

"Don't freak out Chuck." Travis calmly stated.

"That's easy for you say." he quickly blurted glancing at the gun that is currently pressed against the side of his head.

As the standoff ensues, Travis quickly assesses the size and build of the masked man. He looks to resemble the same size and build of Chuck. Travis stands there with his hands held in front of him and at the same time he does that he tries to calm down a very freaked out Chuck from getting shot in the head. He doesn't want to give the man any reason to shoot him and immediately tries to negotiate with the masked man.

"Hey, let him go…" Travis pleaded in a calm manner. "…he doesn't have any money and neither do I." Travis cautiously takes out his ear buds and slowly removes his Ipod from the pocket sleeve strapped around his right arm. "Here…her take my Ipod but please just let my friend go." he added holding out to him.

"Put it on the ground." the masked man ordered.

The masked man's gravelly voice sent a chill down Chuck spine being so close to his right ear and all. Chuck feels his entire body tense up and the perilous situation he's already in caused him to sweat even more. He didn't know what is about to happen as he stared frantically over at Travis who was trying his best to appease the masked man to take his Ipod instead of potentially killing him.

Chuck knew one thing that worked for him and even though it only worked when it involves needles he decided to use it. However, before he could pass out the masked gunmen pushes him over to Travis who catches him. Chuck quickly turns to stand next to his teammate inevitably facing the man in black point who has his weapon aimed at the both of them. He slowly picks up the Ipod and puts it in his pocket.

"I want you to answer me this question." he said. "Do you think you can do that because if you don't the both of you die." he added.

Chuck quickly turns to Travis and has this look of complete fear in his eyes. In that instance, he knows that they may not make it out alive whether they answer the question right or not. The tall, lanky business owner suddenly realizes if he dies along side his friend and fellow teammate over an Ipod no less his dreams of marrying the woman of his dreams would not happen.

One thing for sure, if he or Travis dies Sarah and Casey would stop at nothing to find the bastard who is responsible for their deaths. If he knew Casey at all after working with him for the past 3 and half years, he wouldn't let Sarah dirty her hands with the scum. He wouldn't arrest him either but instead make him disappear and erase any signs that he ever existed. It was something that he found quite disturbing and yet good to know.

He nodded at Travis telling him that they are going to risk answering the question even though they have no idea what the question is. As they both turn to their heads to face him, Chuck responds. "Okay…" He pauses to take one big elongated gulp. "…what is the question.

Travis is totally baffled as to what is going on right now but doesn't dare make any moves for Chuck's sake. Chuck is after the most important piece of intelligence the government has in order to stop potential threats from happening and he wants to keep it way. He doesn't want to be the cause of his death and have her be angry at him and be blamed for the possibility of the team disbanding because of having an error judgment.

The death of Chuck Bartowski would haunt him for the rest of his life. If it does happen and he is left to live he wouldn't be able to handle it to the point where he would walk away making the 3 person team a 2 person team because to look into Sarah eyes or be in her presence every single day would make it all the more difficult to handle. Travis shook those thoughts from his mind as he prepares to her what the question is.

The two men being held at gunpoint listen very intently as they are about to hear the question from the masked man. "ghaj yoD wep?" Chuck and Travis haved a confused looked on their face to the point where they glance at each other wondering what is going on. They then hear the masked man continue. "Hija? Ghobe?"

There is a brief pause leading Travis to respond. "ghobe." Travis slowly said.

As he says, that the masked man lowers his gun down and takes his mask off. "You know Klingon…" the man replied in a clear voice. "…I'm impressed."

Chuck's eyes widen looking at the man before them. "Bryce?"

XXX

**Base of the Santa Monica Stairs Tuesday 6:15 a.m.**

"Hey Chuck." he said expressing a smirk on his face. "You look good."

"Hey Chuck? Hey Chuck!" he responded in absolute disbelief. "You scared the crap out of me. What was that all about?"

"You know I wouldn't have shot you."

"Oh really." he quickly blurted out. "I just about had a heart attack." he retorted holding his chest and then checking his pulse.

Travis is watching the supposedly friendly banter going on between the two men and decides to jump into the conversation. "You're the infamous Bryce Larkin." he stated quirking his right brow. "I heard a lot about you."

Chuck lets out a hint of laughter as he bends down placing his hands on both his knees in order to compose himself from what just happened to him. As he is bending down, he hears Bryce respond.

"Good things I hope." replied Bryce with ere of arrogance in his voice.

"Eh." he responded shrugging his shoulders. Travis looks him up and down furrowing his eyebrows." You know…" he says with his arms crossed. "…you're a lot shorter than I imagined you to be." he added. "I thought you would be taller."

"Funny." Bryce sarcastically responded.

"So Boba Fett…I mean Bryce, for what reason are you here other than scaring the living the daylights out of Chuck."

"Yes, I would like to know that as well." responded Chuck still bent over.

Bryce glances at Chuck who is currently bent over trying to compose himself from his little prank he pulled on him. It amused him that even after all these years he's still the same man he was when he first met him back in Stanford years ago. However, there was something about him that changed and even though he still screamed like a girl he seemingly exuded more self confidence the last time he saw him.

"Can't I visit an old friend?" Bryce asked. "Is that reason enough for you?"

"No…" Chuck said standing upright. "…I know you Bryce what's going on?"

Chuck sees him brief pause and then respond. "Nothing…" he replied holding up both hands. "…I'm telling you the truth."

Travis glances back and forth from Chuck to Bryce as they head towards he and Chuck's vehicle. He knows there is history between the two after the stories he and Sarah have shared with him. "Are you here on a mission and need our help again?" Chuck wondered.

"No mission." replied Bryce shaking his head. "How is Sarah."

_I knew it!_ Chuck immediately knew why Bryce is in Los Angeles but more importantly mainly in Santa Monica. He must have gotten wind somehow of he and Sarah's engagement. He didn't know what his intended purposes is when it came to his fiancé and knowing him he would try to something to get under his skin even though they buried the hatched after he told him to take good care of her.

"Sarah is fine Bryce." he replied shooting him a look. "You do know we're engaged right." he said heading towards his car.

"Really, I didn't know that." he said with a innocent tone in his voice.

"Come on Bryce." he responded shooting him another look.

"Okay…" he said. "…I do know and I'm happy for Sarah. The best man won."

Chuck nods. "Cool, see ya later then." He gives a quick salute to Bryce and the turns to look at Travis. "Same bat time, same bat channel Trav!" hollered Chuck.

"You bet." retorted Travis getting into his car.

Chuck is about to get into his car when Bryce leans over on the roof of the passenger side. "Let me just say hi and talk with her a bit and then I'll be on my way.

Bryce's request causes Chuck to laugh and shake his head in disbelief. He is astounded at the clear jealousy he's having because Sarah didn't chose him and that is bruising his over inflated ego. Chuck looks straight at Bryce and decides to cut him down to size. As he is about to speak up, he hears Travis' car engine not turning over. After hearing several more times, he sees Travis get out of his car looking straight at him."

"I guess my battery is dead. Can you drop me off at my house so I can take the mini van and get a new battery?" he asked looking at Chuck.

"No problemo." Chuck looks from Travis back to Bryce. He sees the desperation in his eyes and can't help but feel sorry for him. "Fine…" he said pointing his finger at him. "…you better make it quick though."

A smile appears on Bryce's face upon hearing what Chuck said concerning seeing and talking to Sarah. All 3 men get into Chuck's black 2 door 2009 Honda Insight with Bryce in the passenger seat and Travis sitting behind him. it's a relatively quiet car ride to Travis' house. Its around 6:30 when they arrive in Brentwood and after turning into several street they finally arrive at his house in a courted area, which allowed Chuck to easily circle around instead of turning into someone else's driveway.

Upon looking at it, he can see it a typical 2 story house with a white picket fence and a 2 car garage. Nothing really special he thinks to himself. Chuck stops in front of Travis' driveway, which has a green minivan parked in it.

"Thanks man, you're a life savor." Travis says getting out of the car.

Chuck sticks his head out the window looking up at him. "I always got your back buddy."

The two men exchange fist taps leading Travis to jog towards the front door of his house. Chuck circles the court and as he passes Travis' house he gives him a semi wave along with a head nod goodbye to which he reciprocates back as Travis steps into house. Back in Chuck's car, there is a brief moment of silence until Bryce opens his mouth.

"So when are you and Sarah getting married?"

Chuck is about to respond when all of a sudden an explosion occurs behind them that causes him to immediately stop the car putting in park. He and Bryce get out of the car leaving the doors wide open. They both see Travis's house engulfed in flames.

"TRAV! SHANNON! " Chuck yells as he runs towards the house quickly followed by Bryce.

Chuck is about to reach the house when a second explosion occurs knocking both pf them to the ground. A look of horror washes over Chuck's face as he slowly gets up with the help of Bryce who is totally shocked at what he just witnessed. As they both stand there, Chuck's Iphone begins to ring. He takes it out of his pocket looking at the number which reads unknown. He presses the accept button and places the phone to his right ear.

_"Did you get my message Mr. Bartowki?"_ the digitized voice asked.

XXX

_**NOTE: Hope you enjoyed reading the first chapter of my new story. Please leave a comment and tell me what you think.**_


	2. Let The Games Begin

**Brentwood Neighborhood - Riley Residence Tuesday 6:30 a.m.**

"Who is this?" Chuck inquired still in stunned disbelief at what just happened.

_"You will know soon enough Chuck but first let me ask you this."_ The digitized voice pauses on the other end of the line. Chuck stands there anticipating the question going to be asked as remnants of what used to be Travis' house are engulfed in flames. _"How is your fiancé Sarah doing?"_

Chuck hears the other end click off. "Sarah." he muttered under his breathe as he looks at Bryce.

He immediately clutches his phone and then runs towards his car with Bryce following suit behind him. They both jump in his car to where Chuck slams the accelerator with his right foot as hard as he can causing Bryce's momentum to slam back in the passenger seat of the former Stanford student's car. Chuck is a man possessed disregarding the residential posted speed limits and speed bump, which Bryce is keenly aware of nearly experiencing several possible concussions hitting his head on top of the car roof.

Sarah's former partner can see the intensity in Chuck's eyes as he dials a number on his phone and the places it in his right ear. He wonders who he is calling and after a few seconds he gets his answer.

"Casey!" Chuck quickly blurted out. "I need you to send an NSA cleaner team to Trav's house ASAP!"

_"What's going on Barwoski?"_ grunted Casey. _"I just heard a explosion in the area." he added_

"Travis, Shannon, the kids. They're all dead." he stated shaking his head in disbelief."

_"What!"_

"Listen to me! Sarah's in trouble and I'm heading over to my house right now!" he spitted out. "How fast can you get there?" he addsed

_"I'm heading out now!" _he quickly replied back.

Chuck immediately hangs up and then scrolls down his phone book frantically looking for Sarah's name. When he finds it he presses her name and then places the call. All her hears is a dial tone causing him to be greatly concerned. After a few seconds, he gets her voicemail leading him to leave a message. "Sarah! Are you there?" he yelled into the phone. "Pick up baby! Call me back if you get this message. Its urgent!" he emphatically stated.

He drops his Iphone down on the centre isle and immediately puts both hands on the wheel. He maneuvers his car through the neighborhood until he reaches the opening leading to the main road. The street traffic is minimal so much so that Chuck makes a wide left shooting out of the Brentwood area nearly hitting a car coming the opposite way. It doesn't phase him one bit at all as he puts the pedal to the medal.

So many thoughts are swirling through his head at the moment. The safety and well being of his fiancé Sarah is one of them. He didn't care what he had to do in order to get to his house as long as there aren't any obstacles in his way. She is the most important person in his life next to his sister Ellie and if anyone ever threatened their lives they better be prepared to see a side of him that nobody has ever seen.

It didn't matter that super spy Bryce Larkin is sitting in the passenger next to him because quite frankly he isn't wasting time even thinking about him at this point. He just lost his good friend at the hands of some lunatic with an apparent personal vendetta aimed at him. True, there is a list possibilities to pick from of who would want not only him dead, but also Sarah and Casey as well.

All three teammates have accumulated many enemies over the past 3 and half years. Even though the trio were able to take each one of them down, they weren't able to take down their unknown associates who have been laying low in order to find the right time to strike back and strike back hard. As he gripped the wheel of his steering wheel he thought to himself that they did indeed find the right time to strike.

Chuck's thoughts were momentarily interrupted by Bryce hollering at him. "Watch out!" he screamed pointing at the car in the front of them.

He swerved narrowly avoiding a head on collision with the back end of a Ford Mustang. Chuck honks his horn out of sheer frustration telling the car now behind him that he should be at Sarah's side like yesterday. He glances over at Bryce who is holding on for dear life grabbing on to anything he can and as much as he's amused by the fear the supposed hardened spy is exuding he knows its business before the pleasure of laughing at a former rival.

He knew he didn't have time to grieve for his friend. It would have to wait as he approaches the street to his house. Chuck makes an extremely wide right turn nearly hitting the sidewalk. It's a matter of seconds before he reaches the front of his house and stops right in front of it opening the door all in one fell swoop. He doesn't bother to close his door as he takes his keys running towards his front door.

Chuck stops a few feet from the door upon seeing something attached to his door. As he stands there, Bryce approaches from behind him and stands next to him looking straight at his front door that is slightly ajar. When the two slowly approach the door, they both see a fairly large knife embedded in the door and stuck in between the both of the two is a playing card with a picture of skull and cross bones on it. Chuck eyes immediately flutter causing him to flash to where he seeing the following images:

_Poker chips on a green table…_

_Pictures of assorted weapons found on the crime scene…_

_File of high profile officials with red x's over their picture…_

_5 playing cards with the picture of 5 dark individual silhouettes…_

_The name Dead Man's Hand…_

_Finally the poker chips on a green table…_

Bryce witnesses the whole thing and after Chuck is done flashing he knows by the look on his face its not good. He reaches back and takes out his handgun aiming at the front door. Bryce takes the lead and before they enter the two men look briefly look at each other. The former frat brothers slowly enter Chuck's domocile with Bryce taking the lead and Chuck following close behind.

XXX

**Casa Bartowski Tuesday 6:50.a.m.**

Bryce and Chuck slowly head into the living room/dining area. As they do the two men hug the wall to the right. Its eerily quiet in the house as Bryce has his handgun raised in front of him tightly gripped in his hand. He notices the sliding doors just a few inches away, which is slightly open. Bryce keeps his gun trained at the door as he places his hand on the door frame and pulls it open leading him to do a quick sweep around the room.

From what he sees it's some type of game room with video games all around the room. A flat screen tv is hanging against the center wall of the room on the other side with cables hooked down to an XBOX 360. Nothing seems to be out of the ordinary. Bryce continues to make his towards the next room, which is the kitchen. They cross the living room maneuvering their way from the coffee table passing in front of the black leather couch hugging the left side of the wall towards the open doorway of the kitchen.

The fact its too quiet makes Chuck even more concerned causing his emotions to run ramped. His heart is beating faster, his pulse racing, and his breathing becomes more erratic as the situation intensifies. Never before has he felt so scared and granted there have been moments where he was scared out of his mind being in hair raising situations before but when it came to the well being of Sarah its considered bigger than anything that has happened in the past.

Sarah is his life. He wouldn't know where he would be now if it wasn't for her and she would say the same when it came to him in her life. His life has completely changed because of her and she will never know how truly appreciative he is of her for not only pushing him to be the man she knows he is, but to help him move on bringing closure to a past that brought him absolutely misery, which he gladly said goodbye to.

As they're in the house, Chuck fearfully thinks the killer could be somewhere in the house. All he can think about right now is that Sarah, the love of his life and the one he's going to marry, is hopefully safe and sound. He doesn't want to even think that anything bad has happened to her and tries to keep those particular thoughts at bay within his mind. Chuck knew he couldn't jump any conclusions because she can take care of herself with the best of them.

The two men once again slowly approach the open doorway as Bryce continues to train his gun at the entrance of the kitchen. When they reach it, Bryce signals for Chuck to stop in order for him to make sure its clear. Chuck watches as Bryce takes a deep breathe before he quickly enters the kitchen extending his left arm scanning the area for any intrude within it.

After a few seconds, Bryce signals him that its all clear. Chuck quietly rushes over behind him as they move toward the other open doorway of the kitchen straight ahead leading to the main hallway. As the two are about to reach the opening, the two men hear what sounds like a gunshot coming from the area of the bedroom causing Chuck's eyes to go wide. The sound of the gunshot causes Chuck to run past Bryce heading towards his bedroom fearing the worst.

"Chuck!" Bryce attempts to grab him but to no avail as he disappears around the corner like a bat out of hell. By the time Bryce rounds the corner, Chuck is at his bedroom door screaming Sarah's name.

"Sarah!" screamed Chuck barreling into his bedroom like a madman.

At the same time, Chuck barrels into his bedroom Sarah walks out wearing a very provocative light blue laced curved panties with matching top. He sees her holding a smoking hair drier in her right hand and quickly notices her hair is still fairly wet from possibly taking a shower earlier.

"Chuck? What's is wrong and why are you so out of breathe?" she inquired expressing confusion on her face. Her out of breathe fiancé is about to respond when Bryce runs up from behind him with gun aimed directly at Sarah but then quickly lowers it. As soon as she sees him, Sarah's eyes go complete wide. "Bryce?"

At the same time he says that, Casey enters Chuck's room with gun in hand and immediately sees Bryce standing there. "Nice to see you Casey." Bryce responded with a smirk.

He gives a resounding grunt in his direction. Bryce's attention goes from Casey to Sarah. A sly smirk grows on Bryce's face as he lowers his gun. "Sarah…" He looks her up and down soaking the image of her in." "…looking good." he said tilting his head a bit to the right.

Sarah immediately looks down at what she's wearing, drops the smoking hair drier to the floor, and backs up into the bathroom slamming door all in one well swoop. The three men the hear her the door being locked. In typical Bryce fashion, he slaps Chuck on his right shoulder causing him and Casey to look at each other then straight at him. "You're a lucky man Chuck…" he stated with arrogance in his voice. "…a very lucky man." he added shaking his head.

XXX

**"Casa Bartowski - Tuesday 7:15 a.m.**

"Dead Man's Hand…" Sarah said with concern. "…I can't believe Travis and his family are all gone." she stated shaking her head in disbelief."

All 4 people are huddled around the dining room table. After the awkward meeting between them that took Sarah completely by Sarah it took her some time to get out of the bathroom. Chuck ushered Casey and Bryce out of his bedroom so that he can not only be alone with his fiancé, but also try to at least take a quick shower as well. About 20 minutes later, the couple emerges out of the hallway from their bedroom changed.

Sarah is now fully clothed in brown cargo pants, dark sneakers, grey shirt, and black hooded zip sweatshirt. She is not only wearing the gold locket hanging around her neck and the bracelet around her right wrist, but also the engagement ring on her left hand as well. She sees Bryce looking at her causing her to zip up her hoody and then gets closer to Chuck showing him that she's no longer interested in him.

Chuck put his arm around her as he holds the playing card attached to his door in his right hand. He looks at it and then taps it on his forehead. As he does so, Casey speaks up.

"The NSA cleaners are at Travs' house and are containing the fire as we speak." he said. "They'll contact me once when they have confirmation in regards to finding their bodies." Casey stated with remorse in his voice.

"So who is this guy?" Bryce asks.

"Bryce, say hi to Sarah and then get your ass out of our house now." Chuck answered shooting an irritated look over at him and pointing to the front door. "We just lost a valued teammate and we don't need you making light of the situation okay." he added with angry tone.

"I can shoot him again…" grunts Casey looking directly at Bryce. "…and this time I'll aim for his head."

Bryce immediately puts his hands up to defending himself. "Whoa!" responded the deep cover C.I.A. agent. "Look, I didn't know all right and trust me when I say I'm not making light of this situation. This is serious and I'm offering my services to help in any way I can." he stated.

Sarah turns her head to look up at Chuck who has look of anger on his face. He and Chuck developed a close friendship that was very similar to that of he and Morgan. A love of movies, television, and video games which instantly bonded the two men the minute they met when he introduced himself as Officer Travis Sanders. It wouldn't be as close as the friendship he and Morgan shared but it would right up there.

She also knows how much he cares about the people he surrounds himself with and would bend over backwards for them. The blonde agent knew Travis was one of those people that even though revealed he knew about the intersect he gave him the benefit of the doubt in not exposing his secret to the point where trust was eventually established in a big way by him saving her miles up in the air. Sarah would always be indebted to him for that and so would Chuck as well. Plus, she considered him like a little brother.

Casey sees the tension mounting and interjects himself into the conversation. "I contacted General Beckman concerning severity of the situation. I suggested that she have agents watching everyone associated with you and me." he firmly stated. "She agreed and assured me Ellie, Devon, Morgan, Jayne, and everyone else will be well protected." Casey added nodding at Chuck.

"Thanks Casey." The NSA agents giving grunt number 21 which is a combination of I'm just doing my job and you're welcome. "I'm going to call Ellie to check on her." Sarah nods and moves aside a bit in order for Chuck to sticks his right hand in his pocket and after a brief moment he realizes that during the ensuing chaos he left his Iphone in the car. "My Iphone is in the car. I'm to going to go and get it." he said leaning down kissing the top of Sarah's head.

As he is about to leave, Sarah reaches out grabbing Chuck's left hand causing him to stop to look back at her. "I'm coming with you." she responded glancing at Bryce.

Chuck shoots another look over at Bryce as he and Sarah walk out hand in hand out the door towards his car. When the door closes Bryce and Casey are the only two left in the house. There is absolute silence between the two as Casey shoots a look towards Bryce that he knows all too well. Bryce turns around in order to avoid eye contact and begins looking at the pictures hanging on the wall.

He sees pictures of Sarah and Chuck embraced in each others arms, as well as, individual pictures of the two as well. He also sees the picture of Sarah's birthday party in which Sarah and Chuck are in a lip lock causing Bryce to scratch the back of his head. "So, are you invited to Chuck and Sarah's wedding Ca…?"

Bryce doesn't even finish saying Casey's name when he's suddenly grabbed by the throat and slammed back against the wall. He has trouble breathing as he is in the clutches of the man who nearly killed him escaping the warehouse in which he downloaded the intersect and eventually sent it to Chuck. The look in Casey's eyes as he leans in staring him straight in his eyes tell him he's not playing around.

"What did I do?" he wondered putting both hands up.

"Why are you here Larkin?" he grunted.

"Just visiting and saying hi to Sarah." replied Bryce. "That's all Casey."

Casey leans in a little closer and points his finger directly in Bryce's face. "Listen up, I don't know what you're planning but if it in any way involves causing friction between my partner and her husband-to-be I will break your neck." Casey squeezes his neck making it difficult for him to breathe. "Sarah finally picked a good one and even though Chuck is an idiot at times he makes her happy. So if you even try to spoil her happiness with him I will ensure that you will never be able to reproduce again." he emphatically added. "Do I make myself clear." Casey firmly stated.

Bryce nods. Casey immediately lets go when he hears the front door open. He sees Chuck walking in with Sarah in hand. He hears him on a tail end of a conversation with Ellie.

"All right sis, have a safe trip back Friday. Love ya. " he hangs up and immediately notices Bryce bent over and grabbing his throat. He looks over at Casey who stands there looking as if nothing happened. Sarah, on the other hand, has a hint of smirk on her face seeing Bryce bent over trying to breathe. Chuck just stands there in amusement as Sarah walks up to Casey. All she does is smile as he simply responds with a low grunt that she can only she can hear.

Its at that point, Chuck's Iphone rings and answers it without looking who it is thinking it could Ellie calling back. "El…"

_"Sorry to disappoint you Chuck."_ responds the digitized voice.

XXX

**Casa Bartowski - ****Tuesday 7:17 a.m.**

"What do you want?" inquired Chuck who immediately puts it on speaker phone and then places it on the coffee table for the other three to listen in. He then stands there with his arms crossed looking intently at Sarah, Casey, and Bryce who stand upright. While standing there Chuck massages his neck then peers down at his Iphone on the table.

Casey immediately takes out his cell phone placing a call in order to run a trace. As this is happening, Chuck, with Sarah standing by his side, continues to talk with the unknown person on the other end.

_"You and Agent Casey are going to have a scavenger hunt today. A challenge if you will"_

A look of disbelief appears on Chuck's face at what he's hearing. He can't believe that the person on the other end of the line has the audacity to have them play a game when he or she just murdered in cold blood his teammate and family. It takes everything in his power to yell go to hell into the phone. As he is talking to the digitized voice, he sees Casey motion for him to keep the person on the line long enough to get his or her exact location. "What if we refuse?"

_"Oh you will play I assure you Mr. Bartowski."_

The way the person on the other end of the line said that just sent a chill down Chuck's spine. It said to him that whoever this person is will not take no for answer. Unlike the 2 previous members of Dead Man' Hand, Maxwell Klinger and the late Simon Templar, this one is more devious, as well as, methodical when it comes to eliminating his targets, which makes him a very dangerous man.

From what he could remember, Maxwell Klinger is a assassin without a conscience and nearly coming close to killing not only the Korean Prime Minister Soon Lee Han, but he and Chuck as well. They didn't have any weapons and according to Casey they would have to improvise. They improvised in a big way of course using a bed pan in order to ultimately defeat and capture one of the most notorious members of a secret assassin group.

Simon Templar, on the other hand, was more smooth, calculated and he was more creative with how he tried to kill he and Casey. He posed as a priest that was going to officiate at Ellie and Awesome's wedding. He captured the two and encased them in his devious well crafted contraption that involved mixing water and sulfuric acid. Long story short, he was apparently killed by his own people.

Now when it came to this person who is stepping up to the bat he or she is going all out in trying to get their attention. This person got their attention all right and it cost the life of a friend in order to get it. As much as he wants to find this person to stomp a mudhole in him/her and then let Casey finish the job the best way he knows how he makes the decision to listen to what he/she has to say.

"Why would you say that?"

_"Because there are innocent lives at stake Chuck." _the digitized voice calmly stated in a eerily menacing way. _"And from what I've learned you care about people which I'm sad to say is going to be your downfall." _the person added. _"Oh and if you're trying to track my exact location you're not going to find me. Trust me on this."_

Chuck immediately looks at Casey who signals him to keep it going. "What makes you think I'm tracing the call?" he asked.

_"I'm not stupid Chuck."_ the person retorted. _"I know Agent Casey is trying to track me as we speak and I'm guessing that he's having a troubling find my exact location since I've been on the phone with for quite some time. Am I right?"_

Chuck looks at Casey who shakes his head as he closes his phone and grips it tightly in his hand. He knows now its not going to be easy by any means seeing that this person has apparently has studied he and Casey. What the person doesn't know is that they have a wild card in their midst by the name of Bryce Larkin. He stares at Bryce knowing that he has to prove himself and focus all his efforts in helping them stop whoever is trying to make a name for themselves in the bad guy community.

_"So are you going to play Chuck?"_

The newly engaged man looks at all three people in front of him. One by one he sees Sarah nodding, then Casey, and then finally Bryce.

"Okay, I'm in.

_"Is Agent Casey there? He should be. Speak up John. What is your answer?"_

All three turn to Casey. "I'm in." he grunted.

_"Excellent."_ the person replied with a smug tone to their voice._ "Then here's your first clue..."_

XXX

_**NOTE: HOW DO YOU LIKE THE STORY SO FAR? MORE TO COME AND PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT.**_


	3. Newton's Law of Gravity

**Casa Bartowski - Tuesday 7:18 a.m.**

The remaining members of Team Chuck and Bryce are once again huddle around the coffee table as one of the deadliest members of Dead Man's Hand gives them their first clue.

_"Night or day, you will be able to scope out the City of Angels among celebrities who do not shine and reside not from below. Next to a sign that many gaze upon." _the digitized voice firmly stated.

When the clue being read was finished a look of confusion appeared on Bryce and Casey's face. When it came to Bryce, it became apparent that it had been a while since he had to start thinking with his brain instead of thinking with his other brain. Its true that Bryce got the great girls with his smooth lines and ruggedly handsome looks but when it came to the intelligence aspect of it he was dumb as a door nail.

Casey, on the other hand, wasn't the type of guy who solved puzzles, riddles, or was into playing mind games with an enemy. He is more the type to of guy who was better suited being unleashed and find the absolute joy in not only exchanging gunfire but experiencing the physicality of hand to hand combat. Casey's a brawler not a thinker, which he would whole heartedly agree with.

"What the hell does that supposed to mean?" grunted Casey.

_"You have to figure that out for yourself Agent Casey. Once you find it then you know where you are supposed to be at before 8 a.m." _stated the person on the other end in a very cryptic manner.

All 4 people check their watches for the time and see that its 7:18 a.m. "What happens at 8 a.m." wondered the NSA Agent.

_"Lets just call it a test." _the person stated. _"Trust me lives hang in the balance."_

_Sonofabitch!_ The sudden announcement of civilians intentionally being put in harms way caused everyone's eyes to widen. This person whoever he or she is truly has a score to settle and would like nothing more than to see the team suffer he thought to himself. Their hands were tied, so to speak, and for the first time their backs were up against the wall with no sign of being able to somehow get out of this now dicey situation.

Chuck crossed his arms and shook his head at that particular thought. It would take prayer, teamwork, and a whole lot of puzzle solving skills that the great Sherlock Holmes played by Robert Downey Jr. would use in order solve the clues they're being given. They were now working without a net and granted they have worked without a net before whenever things seemed their darkest but when the chips were down they were able to come out of it considerably unscathed.

_"Oh did I forget to mention about the rules of the game?" _said the digitized voice with amused arrogance in their voice.

"Rules…" responded Chuck furrowing his eyebrows. "…what rules?" he added looking around at the 3 people in front of him.

The addition of rules to this sick and twist game of scavenger hunt made accomplishing the task at hand by their own terms all the more difficult. True, they never played by the rules themselves breaking several in order to accomplish the mission. Chuck knew that by placing a time limit on the survival of an innocent life along with the rules pitted against the team would push them beyond what they are truly cable of.

It would push them physically, mentally, and quite possibly emotionally to the point where they all may never be same ever again. It may cause them to want to quit because of difficult the tasks that lie ahead of them. However, quitting is not their style and he wouldn't give whoever this person the outright satisfaction of letting this person win because they gave up because it was either too hard or broke their spirits.

Chuck's thoughts are interrupted when the digitized voice responds to his question concerning the rules. _"Well there is actually one rule to be exact. It must be you and Agent Casey and only you two that must play the game or else."_ he emphatically stated.

"Or else what?"

The two men don't take the threat lightly as the person on the other end of the line responds to Chuck. _"Let's just say, someone will pay the consequences for not listening." _the digitized voice states. _"Do you understand?"_

"Crystal" responded Casey gritting his teeth.

_"Good. The clock is ticking gentlemen." _the digitized voice says.

All 4 hear clock off on the other end of line. Chuck picks up his phone and as he puts it in his pocket he watches Sarah head over to the black leather couch. Sarah immediately stands in front of the black leather couch causing Chuck to wonder why. She lifts the right couch cushion to show a cache of weapons such as handguns and knifes in individual slots causing Chuck's eyes to widen.

"What are you doing?" Chuck sees the cache of weapons and immediately speaks up. "What are those?" he added pointing at the couch.

"They're called guns and knives moron." Casey retorted.

"I know that…" Chuck replied glancing at Casey and then back to Sarah. "…what are they doing there?"

"You've never heard of the 30 ft. rule?" Sarah stated holding a handgun and pulling back the handle in order to load the bullet into the chamber. "A good agent should never be without a backup weapon."

Chuck turns to Casey who simply grunts and then to Bryce who nods. "What if Ellie, Devon, or God forbid Morgan accidentally found it?"

Sarah is about to respond back when Casey interjects. "You two have this argument later Bartowski." Casey walks up tapping Chuck's head. "Put that nerd head of yours to good use in order to solve the first clue." the agitated marine added. Casey then turns to Sarah as he puts in a small listening device in his ear inevitably handing one to Chuck as well. "Walker, you and Larkin head to Castle and monitor our progress."

"Affirmative." Sarah said.

"Let's go Chuck." commanded Casey who turns heading out the front door.

Chuck is about to head out but before he heads out he looks at the cache of weapons in the black leather couch then to Sarah. "We'll talk about this later."

He turns to head towards the door but is suddenly stopped by Sarah who immediately turns around him facing her. Chuck does know what to expect by outright look of confusion, wonder, and hint of fear in his eyes. Sarah suddenly grabs Chuck's face pull him in for a deep passionate kiss. As this is happening, Bryce is standing back watching the display of affection between the two.

The kiss lasts for a moment and then separates. Chuck is beside himself as he has this goofy look on his face as Sarah smiles at him. She glances over at Bryce as she wipes the lipstick off his lips and then returns her attention to Chuck. "Stay safe." she soft;y said. The goofy look on his face quickly falls flat when hears Casey's voice from outside.

"Bartowski get your ass in the car!"

Chuck jumps and quickly head out the front door but not before giving a quick wave over to her inevitably leaving the two alone in the house. Sarah grabs a few more weapons from the couch and once she's done she heads towards the door not even looking at Bryce walking right past him. "You coming?"

XXX

**Inside Casey's Crown Vic - 7:30 a.m.**

"So boy genius, have any ideas on the clue that was given to us?"

"Night or day, you will be able to scope out the City of Angels among celebrities who do not shine." said Chuck out loud to himself.

He shakes his head contemplating the first part of the clue. As he sits there with his eyes closed, arms crossed, head down, and lightly hitting his forehead with his right fist he begins muttering to himself. Casey hears the somewhat lower muttering going on next to him and from his point of view the way Chuck sounded he likens to that of a movie starring Dustin Hoffman causing him to momentarily snap out of it.

"Hey Rain Man, what are you doing?"

Chuck stops lightly hitting his forehead and opens his eyes turning his attention towards Casey. "I'm thinking."

"You call that thinking?" replied a somewhat amused Casey. "I call it a reason to tranq you."

"It helps me figure thins out." he answered while shaking his hands around his head. "Ever since I was a little kid I liked doing word puzzles and trying to solve certain riddles that cause me to use the side of my brain that is more analytical to keep my mind active." Chuck added. "It's why my favorite thing to do are activates like Sudoku in which it challenges you to use your mind in order to complete a puzzle that is mainly about numbers.

"You truly are a nerd Bartowski…" Casey turns to look at Chuck. "...and nerds annoy me."

"I thought hippies annoyed you?"

Casey only response is a glare that immediately shuts him up. As much as Chuck wanted to be offended by what Casey said he had to agree with him to a certain extent. He embraced his nerdiness and quite frankly he never tried to hide from it either. Why would he Chuck thought to himself. He hearkens back to what Bryce said back when they first met in the quad at Stanford that still rings true even to this day which was the next millennium belongs to not only to the geek but to nerds as well.

To him, the Tron poster that hangs on his office wall, the vast video games in his game room at home, his collection of comic books, and the many Star Wars quotes he can say right off the top of his head without even thinking about it make him who he is. Truth be told every person has a nerdy/geeky side to them and as much as you try to deny it you'll eventually accept it, which is difficult for some to do especially Casey who he knows has an inner nerd waiting to bust out.

Its at that point, Chuck refocuses his thoughts in trying to solve the clue. "Well, maybe the psychopath is talking about the people in Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew." he responded.

"Are you sure?"

Chuck sat there in the passenger seat thinking about it. Its pure speculation on his part and why would the clue in question relate to a facility where washed up celebrities are tying to get clean. Granted, people like Tom Sizemore from Saving Private Ryan Fame and former Babylon 5 alum Jeff Conway have been intriguing train wrecks to watch on tv but he doesn't think they refer to the clue itself.

In all honesty, it actually sounded considerably stupid when it actually came out of his mouth. There have been plenty of times in the past where he's said something and in mid sentence realized it was sounded totally ridiculous. Yet, he couldn't stop himself from saying and afterwards it would not only cause him great pain, humiliation, and quite possibly embarrassment but for others as well.

"No." replied Chuck shaking his head. Chuck hears a low growl coming from his perturbed teammate who is driving behind the wheel of his crown vic.

"I swear Bartowski I will throw you out of my car." threatened the burly NSA agent.

Chuck knew Casey can make do on his threat. He continues racking his brain trying to remain quiet as possibly can as he works on the first half of the clue. As he does so, he gazes up into the sky. "Wait, another name for a celebrity is a star right?"

"So?" grunted Casey.

"Come on Casey work with me here. We know the first part of the clue involves stars." The wheels in Chuck's head begin to roll causing him to think deeper. " The second and third part of the clue involves scoping out the City of Angels and its location next to a sign that many gaze upon?" he firmly stated.

"In order to scope out of the city Los Angeles, you have to be in an elevated area." responded Casey. "Its an area where you can not only see it in the daytime, but can also see it at night with all the lights as well." he adds.

As Casey says that, the two men simultaneously look at each other knowing the answer. "Griffith Park Observatory!" the two men said in unison.

"And the sign that many gaze up that sits right next to the observatory is the Hollywood sign." Chuck excitedly said. "Booyah! Up high big guy." he added putting up his right hand for a high five. Casey stares at him giving grunt number 30 which says how many times have I told you I don't do high fives. Its at that point, Chuck says only 4 words that NSA Agent complies as he makes a sudden hard swinging u turn. "Step on it Casey."

XXX

**Castle - Tuesday 7: 40 a.m.**

"All right Chuck, you and Casey be careful." Sarah said speaking on her cell phone. "I love you." she softly added expressing a smile on her face. She stands there in front on Castle's main monitor. She clutches her cell phone in her right hand and taps on her chin. As she is doing this, she notices Bryce just off to her left standing there looking at her with his arms crossed. "What?" she said turning her head to look at him raising her right eyebrow.

"Nothing." Bryce smugly replied. "I just can't believe you of all people have become domesticated." he added shaking his head in amusement. "What happened to you?."

_What happened to me?_ Sarah stands there with her arms crossed shooting an icy glare towards him. She stands there looking at her former partner and silently asking herself why she ever fell for him in the first place knowing he never really loved her. True, he has the typical good looks, charisma, and the charm that can cause any beautiful woman would fall for him, especially if you've been trained in the art of seduction.

The beautiful blond agent did in fact know why she fell for him. In a business where you come close to narrowly escaping death countless time you're only way to decompress is to either drink or have sex. Since Sarah never developed a drinking problem she would go for the latter and it would mostly be a release for the both of them without any emotional attachment for either of them.

She remembers her time in Cabo with him back in 2005. They were both using the cover last name of Anderson posing as a married couple on a mission given to them by Graham. When the mission was over, they took what little time they had to relax on the beach and spend time in their hotel room. To her, it felt like a real relationship but like Graham reiterated time and time again that spies do not fall in love.

The whole relationship was mainly about having a professional partnership with benefits. She knew she could always rely on him to watch her back in the field and even though she trusted him as a partner she never could trust herself to share her feelings with him. It was always came down to that and how felt about him and yet deep down inside she knew he never really felt same about her.

You're still in love with me. Those were the words Bryce said to her in Chuck's room before he kissed her. To her, Bryce always had a way of manipulating her emotions against her and she would always kick herself for falling for it. However, after meeting a man who truly showed her what real love is and that you don't have to be afraid of sharing your feelings with someone when that person feels the same way about you.

"I've changed Bryce." she firmly stated. Sarah grabs a chair sitting in front of the main computer, pulls it out and rolls it behind her next to the conference table. She then sits down looking at him. "I love Chuck and he loves me." added Sarah with an ere of contentment in her voice.

"I can see that by the ring on your finger that you're clearly displaying in front of me." Bryce answered.

Sarah glances down and returns her attention to Bryce. "It's his grandmother's wedding ring."

"Oh really." noded Bryce. Sarah watches Bryce being walking away from her and continues talking. "Come on Sarah, you will always be a spy. Its in our blood. Its what we're built for you and I. You can't have both." he added walking around the other end of the conference table.

Its at this point, Sarah sees out of the corner of her eyes that he's slowly making his way behind her. "If you had told me that 3 and a half years ago Bryce I would whole heartedly agree with you." she said glances back to see him walking towards her. "My job was to protect Chuck and I did a damn good job of it."

"You protected him all right. So well in fact that he asked you to marry him." he said standing behind her. "Apparently you said no the first time, why?"

Sarah continues to sit in her chair looking straight forward with her arms resting on the arms rests. "I never said no because Chuck told me when the time was right I could give him my answer. Well, I gave him my answer and this time I proposed to him." she says with a smile on her face that Bryce doesn't see.

"Did you now." A ry smile appear on Bryce's face. "Tell me the truth Sarah…" he said placing his hands both her shoulders and begins massaging them. Sarah cringes as a look of disgust appears on her face. "…you're still in love with me."

Bryce watches her stand up and at the same time she does that he feels her soft right hand take his right hand. She turns around facing him and looks down as she starts caressing it. A sly smile appears on Bryce's face when she looks up with a smile at him. "You're right Bryce." she responded bringing his right hand up to her cheek.

The confession of Sarah's love causes him to let out a hint of laughter. He witnesses Sarah lean in and close her eyes for a kiss leading Bryce to do the same. Bryce sense absolute victory as he is about to feel the lips of his former partner on his but when he feels instead is outright pain as he feels his hand twisted back and behind his head causing him to immediately drop to his knees.

He then feels a handgun pressed up against the side of his right temple then hearing the click of the trigger being pulled back. Its at that point Bryce hears the Sarah's voice in his right ear. "You're right Bryce and that I'm a killer…" she emphatically stated. "...but I'm also in love with the greatest man I have ever known. Plus, I can and will have both. Oh and if you ever touch me again, I'll make it that you won't ever have kids again. Got me?" she adds twisting his hand back harder.

"Yeah." he painfully said grimacing in pain.

Sarah releases the hold and walks off with a wide smile on her face as she leaves Bryce down on his knees massaging his own hand.

XXX

**Griffith Park Observatory - 7:57a.m.**

Casey's crown vic breaks through the locked chained fence that blocks their way into the observatory. They make their way towards the front of the observatory inevitably parking in front of the entrance. The two men quickly get out and at the same time they do they look at their watches to see that its 3 minutes to a.m. As they are standing there, Chuck can't help but nerd out a bit at where they are.

Chuck is in awe because he's in the exact location where they shot parts of the first Transformer movie. Its where Shia Labeouf, Megan Fox, and Bumblebee stood as they "watched" other Transformers descend for space crashing to the earth. To many nerds like himself and his best friend Morgan who went with him to see the movie Griffith Observatory has become in all intensive purposes holy ground.

He remembers vividly going up to the observatory with Morgan after seeing the movie for the 3rd time and just taking picture after picture on the exact spot where the actors, as well as the black and yellow Camero aka the Autobot known as Bumblebee. He wished he had brought his camera for posterity reasons and as much as he wanted to touch the spot where the actors stood he knew there are there for a reason.

"What time is it Casey?" Chuck asked looking around.

"1 minute till 8." Casey retorted.

Casey knew in the span of 1 minute anything could happen. For the first time in facing an enemy such as this, there is absolute uncertainty as to what he's about to encounter in just a few short seconds. Unlike other enemies in the past, they were considerably predictable being that they tended to explain what they were about to do them whereby making it somewhat easy in his mind to defeat them.

However, with this particular member of Dead Man's hand whoever he or she may be is little is being said making it not only put innocent civilian's lives in danger, but putting their own lives in danger as well all for the greater good. They know that their going to be put to the test with the challenges they will face, which he has no idea who many they are going to be given.

The burly NSA agent hated the unknown because he wasn't in control of it. There were times in the past where even though he was either under heavy cover fire, captured, or tortured to the point of what he liked to refer to as acceptable losses he's able to fight his way out of it by simply being a smart soldier. If you don't have the smarts as a government agent then you're in the wrong business he thinks to himself.

"What are we supposed to find anyway?" Chuck said throwing his hands in the air.

"I don't know Bartwoski?" he responded shaking his head.

As soon as he says that, the two men hear what sounds like a cell phone ringing somewhere in the vicinity. They stand there for a brief moment trying to listen for and pinpoint the exact location of where the ring is coming from. Chuck slowly hones in on the sound as he begins walking away from the crown vic heading straight for the tall statue in the middle of the area.

Chuck clearly hears the ringing coming from the area of the statue so much so that he starts running towards it with Casey right behind me on his heels. The two men reach the astronomer's monument that pays homage to Hipparchus, Nicholas Copernicus, Galileo Galilei, Johannes Kepler, Isaac Newton, as well as William Herschel. They begin frantically searching for the cell phone that they can both hear loud and clear.

"I see it Casey!" yelled Chuck pointing up at the near the feet of Isaac Newton. "Lift me up!"

Casey cups his hands leading Chuck to stick his foot in and at the same time he does that he lifts him up. The two men continue to hear the cell phone ringing causing Casey to give it all he's got and pushes Chuck up to the point where he has the cell phone in his possession. "Do you got it Bartowsi!" he screamed.

"I got it!" As he says that Chuck starts wobbling in the air so much so that he falls back on to the grass behind them inevitably knocking the wind out of him. Chuck is on his back trying to catch his breathe. Casey runs over and grabs the phone out of his hand immediately answering it.

"We're here!" Casey says a bit out of breathe.

_"Excellent Agent Casey." _the digitized voice stated. _"Where is Mr. Bartowksi?"_

Casey looks down to see Chuck sprawled out on the ground trying to catch his breathe after getting the wind knocked out of him from hitting the ground hard. "He's proving that Newton's Law of Gravity is right." he states.

_"I see."_

"What's next?" Casey inquired.

_"A lot more…" _the digitized voices menacing proclaimed. _"…so prepare yourselves to go through hell."_

XXX

**_NOTE: HOPE YOU ENJOYED READING THIS LATEST CHAPTER. PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT._**


	4. Eat At Winkies

**Griffith Park Observatory - Tuesday 8:01 a.m.**

"Stop your yapping and tust give us the next clue." grumbled an agitated Casey.

_"Eager are we?"_

"Yeah..." grunted the cold school killer. "…eager to pound your face in." he emphasized.

_"If you survive Agent Casey, which is still too early to tell at this particular point and time." _the digitized voice smugly retorted.

Casey begins to grow impatient but restrains himself from not saying anything that could cost an innocent civilian his/her life. "Let's have it."

As Casey sets his phone to speaker mode, Chuck slowly pushes himself into a sitting position. The two men hear the unknown person on the other end of the line give the next clue for them to solve.

_"Eat at Winkies. Diane, Betty and Adam have been there. Enjoy popcorn and soda. Only 30 minutes away." _the digitized voice stated. _"Get a move on gentlemen."_

The other end of the line immediately clicks off. Casey closes his phone clutching it in his right hand and shakes his head a bit. In that brief moment, he lets out a quick grunt that Chuck, who is now standing up brushing himself off, interprets as irritated with a splash of utter contempt. As he stands there, Casey can't help but wonder what type of person the two of them are up against.

_Are we dealing with a criminal mastermind or The Riddler?_ Casey hasn't been too keen with the clues being told to them in riddle form, especially clues that he has no idea what they pertain to. As much useful knowledge he has attained over the past 3 and half years being in Los Angeles, it helps to have someone who attains as much useless knowledge stored in a human brain.

Granted, the intersect has played a major role in identifying potential threats that wouldn't have come to light if it wasn't for Chuck. However, its his oftentimes useless pop culture knowledge and random quotes referencing television or movies like Star Wars that have somehow been able to help on missions completely surprise him to no end to the point where it becomes less annoying as time goes by.

The relationship between he and Chuck didn't start off smoothly in the beginning. Chuck's lack of self confidence, fighting ability, his girlish screams in the face of danger, and always wanting to expresses what Casey referred to as his "lady feelings" would be a source of frustration for the seasoned veteran of the NSA. Yet, despite him wanting to throw him down in a bunker every other day he started becoming more like a spy.

If anyone had told him back then that he would be become partners with a tall, lanky man with absolutely no fighting ability who not only lives with his sister and boyfriend after being kicked out of college for cheating, but also fixes computer for 11 bucks an hour he would have laughed in their face. The laugh was on him as he did indeed got partnered with him along with his now fiancé and the best partner he has ever had Sarah.

Its at that point, Casey turns his head to look at Chuck who he sees attempting to brush off the grass that is currently embedded on the back of his shirt. To Casey, the way Chuck is wiping off the grass looked very similar to that of a dog trying to grab its tail with its teeth to the point of spinning around fast in a circle until caught. He can't help but think that the fate of innocent lives rest on a moron who has stupid debates about what type of sandwiches to bring to a deserted island with someone equally as moronic.

He and his furry little bastard of friend have tortured his ears with inane conversations that don't have any relevance whatsoever concerning the world today. Its as if they have made it their personal mission to drive him completely crazy to the point of possibly daring him to choke the life out of those two nitwits he thinks to himself. Add Travis into the mix then you have the completion of the three stooges.

Chuck, Morgan, and Travis, the trifecta of idiocy. Yet, as much as he gets on Chuck and Travis' case they have proven themselves many times over in the field, especially when the chips are down. Speaking of Travis, he wasn't too keen on having an outsider joining Team Chuck being that the last teammate they had was someone he respected a great deal, which was Chuck's father Abraham Bartowski.

He was pretty hard on Travis in the beginning and in his own mind he had to live up to be on the level of Chuck's father. Casey took it upon himself to break the new guy in by giving him tasks to perform within Castle just to see if he would whine about it. He threw everything at him including the kitchen sink because he wanted to see how far he could push him before he broke not just physically, but mentally as well.

There was a point where he remembers Chuck and Sarah taking him aside ask him to let up a bit for their sake. He never liked being asked or even told what to do for that matter, but he would eventually give Travis from slack. To be perfectly honest, he did a great job completing every task given to him and though he wanted to express how proud he was of him it wasn't his style so he just gave him a grunt worthy approval.

From Casey's point he had to be the hard ass drill sergeant in order to show the newbie that even though he was given a free pass to join THE best team ever assembled, he had to prove his worth. Travis did and exceeded all his expectations as worthy teammate by going all out when it came to field missions putting himself in harms way when he, Sarah, or Chuck were ever in danger. The sign of a true soldier.

Casey gives a low grunt in remembrance to his fallen comrade in arms and then grabs Chuck pulling him towards the crown vic. "Let's go Bartowski, we got work to do." he ordered.

XXX

**Castle - Tuesday 8:05 a.m.**

Bryce stands in front of the main computer console licking his wounds after being a painful reminder that her former partner Sarah is not in love with him. As this is happening, General Beckman suddenly appears on screen expecting to see Sarah in the conference but to her surprise she sees Bryce instead who is preoccupied at the moment as he's dealing with the pain in his right hand.

"Agent Larkin, may I ask what you're doing here?" Beckman asked raising her right brow.

The former partner of Sarah Walker quickly straightens up and flashes his signature smile. "General, its nice so see you again."

_I'm lying._ For him, the advantages of being a deep cover spy who is on his own and off the radar is that you don't have to report to anyone. He enjoyed the freedom of not being given orders, going where he pleased, and certainly enjoyed not being reprimanded for disobeying orders when the situation turned sour. It would have been more enjoyable with Sarah by his side but she made her choice.

"Where is Agent Walker?" she inquired.

He is about to respond when he hears her voice behind him. "I'm here General." she said walking up to the main console.

Sarah notices that Bryce is favoring his right hand and she can't help but smile inside. When she stands next to him she doesn't even acknowledge that Bryce is standing beside her. All her attention is focused on Beckman in front of her. "Casey and Chuck just left Griffith Observatory and have the next clue. They are deciphering it as we speak." she stated.

"Colonel Casey informed me that Dead Man's Hand is behind the attack that killed Mr. Riley and his family." Beckman stated. "NSA cleaners are sweeping the area for bodies as we speak. Test will be done in order to confirm that it is them when they're found." she added.

In that exact moment, the realization set in that Travis and his family are gone. It was just yesterday that she and Chuck were at their house for a bbq. It took everything in her power to not cry in front of Beckman or even Bryce for that matter. She pulls herself together and is about to continue on when Bryce decides to put his 2 cents worth into what is going on.

"Have you tried to track the cell signal?"

"Whoever this person is Agent Larkin, he or she is covering their tracks pretty well." she retorted.

"General, from what we know about this organization they apparently made it their personal mission to come after Chuck and Casey ever since capturing Maxwell Klinger." the blonde beauty stated shaking her head. "It was then Simon Templar's turn to eliminate the two but was foiled by Chuck's dad. He was ultimately eliminated by his own people." she added.

"You are correct Agent Walker."

Upon hearing this, Bryce turns to see Sarah. "Making new enemies I see." remarked Bryce with a hint of smirk on his face.

"Shut up Bryce." she firmly stated shooting a quick glare towards him.

Beckman doesn't see how all this is apparently amusing to Bryce leading her to get his attention. "Agent Larkin are you here to help or you just wasting our time?"

The smirk on Bryce's face immediately falls flat as he turns to face her. "I apologize, I'm here to help General."

Sarah could no longer hide the smile on her face after Beckman put Bryce in his place. When Beckman's attention turns back to Sarah her face immediately turns serious as she continues on with what she has to say after being interrupted by him. "What we have to go by are their calling cards that tend to be left when an assassination job has been completed." Beckman and Bryce listen intently as Sarah shares more of what could possibly help them figure out who is behind this. "The Ace of Spades has been the calling card of Klinger while Templar's was the 8 of Clubs."

"I see what you getting at." responded Bryce chiming in. "In a dead man's hand, there is the ace of spades, 8 of clubs, ace of clubs, 8 of spades, and the last card is really an unknown. Its basically a wild card that could be any card in the deck itself." he added.

The blonde agent was impressed with Bryce's knowledge of card games as it was truly relevant to the situation at hand. Yet, it didn't negate the fact she still didn't like being around him and would make due on her promise to make him not ever have kids again if, a big IF mind you, he ever got married, which is highly unlikely because he's married to the spy life.

"So how does it coincide with the situation at hand?" she inquired looking at both Sarah and Bryce.

"I think I know General. We need to find any information, photos, basically anything that involves assassination where a playing card was left at the seen of the crime. We already know that the ace of speeds and the 8 of clubs are no longer active." she firmly stated. "We just have to focus on the three remaining cards that are left."

"That is a tall order Sarah." Bryce said. "Its like finding a needle in a haystack." he added shaking his head.

Sarah turns to Bryce shooting a serious look towards him. "Do you have any other ideas Bryce because I sure as hell would like to hear them." she angrily stated.

"Whoa!" Bryce throws his hands up in responds to Sarah's angry retort. "Hey, we're all on the same side here Sarah."

The future Mrs. Bartowski is about to respond when Beckman intervenes. "Enough!" she bellowed. The two agents immediately quiet down as they turn to face Beckman on screen. "Whatever difficulties you two are having right now hash them out later once this whole debacle is over. Do I make myself clear?" Beckman sternly said. "You two get to work fast and I'll have my people do the same. That is an order." she added.

"Yes ma'am." the two respond in unison.

The two see Beckman press a button leading the screen in front of them to go black. Sarah then immediately turns to Bryce. "Chuck and Casey are counting on the two of us, so get your head out of your ass and get to work. Do you understand or die I have to make due on my promise?" Bryce's only response is to shake his head no. "Let's get to work then." she said turning to the main console and quickly typing away.

XXX

**Inside Casey's Crown Vice - Tuesday 8:10 a.m.**

Casey sat behind the wheel of his car driving down the winding road away from the Griffith Observatory and as he drive he glances over at Chuck. "All right Bartowski, we have 30 minutes to get Winkies Diner on Sunset Blvd." he quickly stated.

"Hold on Casey." Chuck interjected. "I think you're jumping the gun here big guy. Did you even listen to the entire clue?" he asked.

Chuck knew Casey tended be a bit impatient, especially when it came to him supposedly solving the clue by himself. As hard headed as he can be, he has to know that you have to look over the entire clue not just the one you can clearly recognize or you'll end up possibly making a big mistake to the point where it costs someone's life. He wanted Casey to be 100% sure because he knows the clues are going to get tougher.

"We don't have time for this Bartowski." Casey responded back. "Traffic is going to be against us and so is the clock or did you not forget about that?"

"I didn't forget." replied the lanky business owner shaking his head.

"Then sit there and shut up."

"No!" he emphatically stated.

Casey glances at Chuck and as he does his grip he has on the steering wheel gets tighter. "What did you say?"

"You heard me." he spitted out without any hesitation.

"Do you have a death wish?" asked Casey glancing at Chuck with a look of intensity in his eyes.

Chuck takes a big elongated gulp and responds back to his scary comrade. "Come on man, you have to listen to me!" pleaded Chuck. "Just because you think you have the clue solved doesn't mean it may actually be the right one." he added. Casey grunts shooting a death glare towards him but unlike in the past where he has backed off to avoid possibly bodily injury but he doesn't this time and stands his ground. "There is more to the clue than just the obvious being stated at the end."

Chuck knew Casey hated being wrong but what he hated more would be admitting he was wrong. For the past 3 and half years, his emotionally constipated teammate would on a rare occasion where he will actually apologize and one of the those occasion was sitting in the back of the S.U.V. just after the amazing feet of getting files that would help locate the late C.I.A. Director.

He never really expected him to say it and it took him, Sarah, and Travis completely by surprise so much so Travis actually wanted him to say it again. Yet, the thing about Casey is if he says something once like the words "I'm sorry" he won't say it again because he doesn't want to show he actually cares about not only he and Sarah, but Travis as well. Whether he wants to admit it or not, underneath that hardened scary exterior beats a caring individual.

An individual who he has witnessed looked totally flustered when his old flame Ilsa, thought to be dead, stood before him alive and well with his very own eyes. Before ever running to her at the hotel, he mentioned her name not knowing that she supposedly died by way of a bomb. When he mentioned not only her name, but the nickname of sugar bear she gave him Casey nearly choked the life out of him.

He didn't and his efforts finally paid off when he sat down with him during lunch in the Buy More break room and carefully pushed the issue. Casey was hesitant at first to the point where the words emotionally constipated was "born" in that particular room. He wanted to the more human side of Casey to come out and the robot like soldier to stay back even for just a moment.

Chuck got his wish as the way he looked and reflected back on the day they met caused him to yell 2 words that he still remembers saying to this day…its alive. Fast forward to when Casey and Ilsa both saw each other he became so flustered that he had to actually give him advice on what he should do as they both sat in the reclining chair just talking with him straight from the heart. To his amazement was actually listening to him. Long story short, he was able to have closure with her.

Chuck quickly set those thoughts aside and made the decision to do something really bold. It would be so bold that it may cause him to actually experience bodily harm because of it. Its at that point, Chuck reaches over and switches off the car inevitably taking the key from the ignition slot. Casey shoots a glaring look at him as he puts his foot on the brakes slowly guiding it to the side.

The crown vic is safely guided and inevitably parked on the side of the windy road that leads away from the Griffith Observatory. As Chuck holds the keys in his right hand he sees Casey looking straight forward with both hands gripping the steering wheel tightly. After a brief moment, he witnesses his teammate slowly turn to him with his eyebrows furrowed, jaw clinched, nostrils flaring, and a fiery look from within his eyes directed right at him.

"You had better have a good explanation for what you just did Chuck." grunted a very pissed off Casey.

XXX

**Inside Casey's Crown Vic - Tuesday 8:20 a.m.**

"The clue, I think its meant to throw us off." he said gripping Casey's keys in his right hand.

"What are you talking about?" asked a frustrated Casey.

"Think about it, were we actually given a time limit this time?"

Casey doesn't hesitate one bit in answering Chuck's question. "You should clean out your ears Bartowski because you heard the same thing I heard." Casey emphatically stated. "We have 30 minutes to get there…" Casey glances at his watch. "…and because of you we're not going to make it!"

"That's what you heard but that's not what I heard Casey." protested Chuck.

"What are you lip smacking about Bartowski?"

Chuck knew he had one shot to convince Casey that the clue they were given would throw them off the wrong trail leading them away from where they are supposed to be. He felt it in his gut that he is 100% right in doing what he did because if he hadn't they would be on a wild goose chase while some poor innocent sole dies because of Casey getting the clue totally wrong.

It was a bold move in taking the key out from the ignition because in his mind it was the only way for Casey to listen other than attempting to knock him over the head, which would just simply aggravate him to no end. Chuck chose the first option because if actually tried the second option he wouldn't be in the crown vic but rather thrown out of Casey's crown vic.

"If you heard Mr. Roboto on the other end, he said its 30 minutes away. He never said to be there in 30 minutes. Plus, its impossible to get to Winkies Diner in just 30 minutes." Chuck stated. "Trust me on this I feel it in my gut."

"So you're basing this decision on your gut." grunted Casey. "We're all screwed."

"No we're not." Chuck quickly responded back. "One part of the clue said enjoy the popcorn and soda."

"And?"

"True they do serve soda at Winkies Diner, but popcorn? That raised a red flag right there because diners don't normally serve popcorn but you know what does?" Casey sits there just glaring at Chuck causing him to just answer the question himself. "A movie theater."

"There's got to be a lot of movie theaters in Los Angeles Barotwski. Can you narrow it down to one?" replied Casey.

"We're not going to a movie theatre."

Casey holds up his handgun in front of Chuck and pulls back the handle." I have a gun and I will shoot you unless you make sense right now."

Casey is serious Chuck thinks to himself. He didn't want to give his disgruntled and not mention gun toting teammate any more incentive to use it. There have been plenty of times in the past where he has aimed a handgun in his face either to prove a point or just to mess with him. Oftentimes it was the latter but more often than not it was to prove a point.

One memory that stands out in his mind was the very beginning when Team Chuck wasn't formed yet. He remembers all three of them standing separately from each other on top of the helipad in a triangle type formation and Casey aiming his gun with laser sight attachment right at his forehead. So many thoughts were racing through his mind one of them being he wanted to wake up from this horrible nightmare he's going through.

Yet, it wasn't a nightmare but absolute reality as Casey aimed his gun at him while Sarah aimed her gun at Casey. It was an intense moment to say the least with Casey itching to shoot somebody and thankfully that night nobody got shot. The intersect proved to be helpful in locating the bomb, which he successfully disarmed using a x-rated virus. From that point on his life changed forever and he would have many guns pointed at his face.

Chuck refocused his attention back to Casey who is clearly not happy at the moment. He quickly tries to defuse the situation. "The clue is about a movie." quickly emphasized Chuck. "A movie that involves Winkies Diner."

"Then who is Betty, Diane, and Adam?" spitted out Casey.

"They are possibly characters in a movie."

"Which movie then?" Casey quickly responded expecting Chuck to give him an answer since he considers him some type of movie buff.

"That I don't know."

Casey immediately points his handgun directly at Chuck. He is clearly irritated that he's not getting the exact answers he wants from Chuck. Its taking a lot of restraint on his part from pulling the trigger and not unleash all his anger on him. To Chuck, he needs all that anger not to be unleashed on him but rather on the unknown person who murdered in cold blood their teammate. "I swear I'm going to pull the trigger Bartwoski." he grumbles aiming his weapon directly at his passenger.

Chuck restrains himself from letting out a girlish scream at that exact moment. It wouldn't help matters any to annoy Casey even more to the point where he would pull the trigger to shut him up. However, he would have to explain to Sarah why in the world he did it and he personally wouldn't want to be Casey in his shoes if that were to actually happen.

"Then find out?"

"How?"

"Use your Iphone moron." Chuck's eyes widen upon hearing Casey's suggestion. He totally forgot about his Iphone having internet capabilities causing him to reach within his right pocket inevitably taking it out. He is about to get online when he stops to look at Casey. "What?"

"I don't function well when a gun is pointed at my head." Casey grunts, lowers his gun, placing it in his lap still in view of Chuck telling him he had better find the answer or he will get shot. Chuck quickly goes to google and types in the clues that were given to them. After a short few moments, Chuck quickly looks up turning his attention back to Casey. "I got it!"

"Then where are we supposed to be at?"

Chuck holds up his Iphone towards Casey who looks from Chuck to the small screen. As he is looking at it, Chuck gives him the answer that is pertinent to their mission. "Mulholland Drive..." he firmly said. "and its just 30 minutes away."

XXX

_**NOTE: HOPE YOU ENJOYED READING THIS CHAPTER. PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK.**_


	5. Reality Check

**Castle - Tuesday 8:25 a.m.**

Sarah and Bryce are sitting in front of Castle's main computer system. Sarah is steadily punching away at the keys on the main console while Bryce is doing the same as well several feet away from her. The former partners are searching through files of past assassination reports in which playing cards, preferably the ace of clubs, 8 of spades, and a card that could anything, were left at the crime scene.

Bryce pauses for a moment and glances over at Sarah who is concentrated on the screen in front of her. A rye smile appears on his face as he looks at her busy typing away. Its at that point, he decides to break the silence between the two of them. "So…" he begins. "…when is the wedding?"

"Why do you want to know Bryce?" she responded without even looking at him. "You're not invited if that's what you're thinking."

Bryce leans back in his chair and he shakes his head a bit. He sits there looking at her and knows that Sarah has changed greatly since the last time he saw her. From his point of view, she's more sure of herself not just as an agent, but also as woman when it comes to her own feelings and emotions, which is something that he never really saw from her when they were partners.

The super spy remembers the conversation they had in the car just before getting ambushed by Tommy's men. When he asked her the question are we good it wasn't about whether they were being followed after the hand off at Buy More. It was geared more towards if they were okay and she responded back by saying she thought he was dead after Casey shot him at the warehouse.

He then asked her to come back with him and Bryce thought for sure she would being that he still had an effect on her. If anything, the kiss they both shared in Chuck's room proved to him there was still something there between the both of them. The response he got left little to be desired as she told him that her assignment protecting Chuck was top priority over him.

It was then he vividly remembers telling Sarah she was never good at this to which this meant the part where she shares her feelings. She responded back with that she didn't like to talk much, which was a true statement indeed when it came to their relationship. There wasn't much for talking and to be perfectly honest it suited him just fine because there were less complications to deal with.

In his mind, when feelings and emotions start getting in the way then the relationship starts to become problematic. Bryce rather enjoyed the partners with benefits aspect of the relationship because once they let out the steam with each other it was business as usual. As much as he wanted to know more about her, she would just shut him down by putting up walls that didn't allow him to get to know the real her.

In the time that they were both teamed together by Graham, she allowed him to get know the spy side of Sarah Walker. The side that is mainly business and can physically hurt you if you got on her wrong side, which has happened on quite a few occasions in the past. Luckily, he was able to charm his way into her good side and they would both end up in between the sheets.

There was a moment in the car where a kiss was about to happen between the two of them where he actually thought she might be coming back with him. He decided to go for it and low and behold he was right as he saw her lean in as well. Unfortunately, the kiss never happened as Tommy's men ambushed them but they were able to escape and come to the rescue of Casey and Chuck.

A hint of a smile appears on his face as he thinks back to the fight they had in the buy more. It felt great like old times to be fighting side by side once again as if he hadn't supposedly went rogue and betrayed his country. The chemistry was still there and the minute he locked eyes during the fight he saw the smile on her face telling him that she missed not only him, but the thrill of being with him.

When the time came for Sarah to say goodbye to Sarah, all he had to say to her was we'll always have Omaha. It didn't mean anything to Chuck, but it meant a lot to him when it concerned Sarah. He wanted her to come with him and at that night when he called her he was so sure she was going to pick up, they would talk, and he would easily persuade like he has always done to come with her. She made her choice.

"Why didn't you come with me when I was going off the radar?" Bryce inquired. "I was waiting for you." he stated.

Sarah stops typing on the keyboard and slowly turns her head to look at him. She sees the seemingly hurt look on his face but it's a look that she's seen many times before in order to feel sorry for him. "And do what Bryce…" she asked shaking her head. "…leave everything behind just for you. Guess what, the world doesn't revolve around you."

"I just thought…"

Sarah immediately cuts him off. "Yeah, you thought I was going to run off with you and go fight Fulcrum side by side. You were going to get what you wanted but honestly that is not what I wanted." she emphatically stated.

"Chuck, you wanted Chuck." responded Bryce.

"It wasn't just about Chuck." Sarah pauses for a moment to gather her thoughts as she turns her chair to face him. "I realized that your first priority will always be the job and you supposedly going rogue without informing me or Graham for that matter showed that you didn't trust me at all to let me in on what you were going to do." she said. "And that hurt because we were partners Bryce and partners are supposed to trust each other." added Sarah.

Bryce notices she's tearing up talking about what he did to her. He then leans forward pushing his chair towards her and inevitably stops right beside her placing his hands on the right arm rest of her chair. "I'm sorry for what I put you through really I am." he stated. "I didn't know you felt that way."

Sarah wipes away the tears from her eyes. "I've been angry at your for a long time." she answered with disdain in her voice.

"I bet it felt good to get that off your chest?" he said. "Tell you what…" Bryce leans in closer and turns his head. "…you get a free shot so go ahead and take it." he amusingly added.

Sarah lets out a hint of laughter. "Yes it did and I as much as I want to we got work to do."

Bryce turns his head to look back to her as they he does they both lock eyes with each other. "Hey, I can still make you laugh. At least its one thing I know I could do right by you." Bryce sees a smile appear on her face and its that moment he looks at her. "We were a great team weren't we." he asked with a smile on his face.

"Yeah we were." she responded.

"Be honest, would you have gone with me?" he said placing his right hand on hers.

Sarah looks down and before she can respond Bryce leans in to kiss her. She begins fighting it at first but succumbs to the kiss as Bryce reaches up placing both his hands on the side of her face.

XXX

**Castle - Tuesday 8:26 a.m.**

The kiss between Bryce and Sarah last for several moments. When they finally do separate the look of absolute satisfaction appears on both their faces but more on Bryce's face than on Sarah's. A wide eyed smile grows on his face as he brushes Sarah's hair back behind her ears and looks deep into her eyes. "You do still love me." he arrogantly says.

"I have to tell you something." responded Sarah softly

"Yes."

"Bryce." she softly stated again caressing his cheek.

"What is it Sarah?" he asked

"Bryce!" Bryce is suddenly snapped back to reality by the loud call of a female voice. He looks across to see Sarah sitting there with an annoyed look on her face." "What are you doing?" she asked.

"I was just taking a break." he responds.

_Taking a break?_ At a critical moment like this I don't think so Sarah thinks to herself. One of the many things she knew about Bryce was that he was all business when it came to situation like these and no matter what distraction there were he was focused on the task at hand. However, when she looked at him sitting there drifting off in space with a smile on his face no less she had to snap him out of it.

"It looked to me like you day dreaming and smiling…" she responded expressing agitation in her voice. "…why?"

"It's nothing." he answered shaking his head.

Sarah furrows her eyebrows at her former partner said causing her to be somewhat suspicious. "Nothing is something Bryce." she said turning her chair facing towards him. "I know you so spill it."

"I was remembering how great a team we were. We had some good times didn't we. Did you ever…"

Sarah immediately cuts Bryce off. "No." she quickly stated causing his smile to fall flat.

"You didn't even let me finish." he said raising both his hands.

Sarah raises her right eyebrow and leans forwards with a serious look on her face. "What you were going to say was did I ever think back on the moments we shared together?" she stated. "Is that it?" she added.

A hint of a smile appears on his face and then nods. "Yeah."

"No." she said turning her chair around and resumes typing away at the computer. "Okay maybe."

_Maybe._ To Bryce, he considered the word maybe a victory of sorts that she still thinks of him. From his own perspective, there is part of Sarah that still cares about him and as much as she's supposedly been in love with Chuck that maybe she's just been putting all her feelings concerning him on to his former roommate. Bryce shakes his head at that particular thought as he looks over Sarah.

Its at that point, Bryce pushes himself forward across in his chair over to Sarah letting the momentum carry him over to Sarah. A smile appears on his face as he's rolling over to her and as he does he sees her glancing over a look that he's seen many times before when they were together. She then turns her chair to face him as if to signal him that she does still have feelings for him and upon reaching her she gives him a definite signal.

However, its not the signal he was looking far as a painful look appears on his face. Bryce looks down to see the barrel end of Sarah's hand gun deeply embedded against his crotch, which caused him to suddenly stop him from rolling. Bryce looks up to see Sarah with a sly smile on her face as he hears the trigger being pulled back on the weapon she currently has in her right hand aimed directly at his manhood.

"When I said maybe…" Sarah said emphatically states leaning in to look at Bryce straight in his eyes. "…I meant it in terms of learning from my mistakes when it came to our relationship and knowing that the relationship I have with Chuck is ten times better than what we had." she emphasized. "So unless you want a sex change and trust me I'll happily oblige…" Sarah doesn't break eye contact with Bryce as she pushes her handgun further in causing an uncomfortable look to appear on his face. "…then I suggest you get back to work."

Bryce doesn't say a word as he sees an intense look emanating from with Sarah's eyes. He feels her gun digging into his crotch once again in order to make a statement, which he hears loud and clear. His efforts in getting on the good side of Sarah failed. The charms of C.I.A. Agent Bryce Larkin were completely shut down as he slinks off back to where he was and as he does so he sees Sarah place her gun right on the console in plain sight of Bryce's view.

XXX

**In Casey's Crown Vic- Tuesday 8:45 a.m.**

"Don't ever take my keys away again Bartowski." grunted Casey. "Ever." he firmly added with emphasis.

The two men head towards Mulholland Drive. The real answer to the clue given to them by Mr. Roboto, which is a name Chuck aptly dubbed to their adversary because of the person's digitized voice. Chuck and Casey again have no idea what to expect when they arrive there leading both mean to become very cautious. The silence inside the Crown Vic is suddenly broken by sound of a cell phone ringing.

Casey immediately picks up the cell phone from the Griffith Observatory but the sound is not coming from there. He immediately turns to Chuck who looks at his cell phone. "It's Chloe." he said turning to his fellow burly and considerably annoyed teammate.

"Make it short Bartowski." he ordered. "We got to keep the lines clear just in case the psycho calls."

Chuck nods. In that brief moment before answering his phone Chuck can't help but feel what Chloe must be going through possibly finding out from the news. She has been the Travis and Shannon's nanny for quite some time. When he first met her at Casa Bartowski for Sarah's birthday party she seemed to be a down to earth, girl next door type of woman. His assumption were correct as she intergraded well into the crowd of people she didn't even know and started conversation without any problems whatsoever.

In a way, she would the American version of Mary Poppins without the British accent, talking umbrella, or the singing ability. Of course, he never really hear her sing so he couldn't make a proper judgment call until he does. In any case, everybody enjoyed her company including a drunken Jeff and Lester who tried hitting on her. Thankfully Casey, scared them off in order let her enjoy the birthday part in peace.

In the short time he has known her, Chloe has been an excellent help for the two of them, especially with the addition of baby Wesley into the Riley Clan. Whenever Team Chuck would go on missions that take him away from his family, Chloe would be there for her so much so that they actually provided her with a spare bedroom to sleep in whereby telling her she become part of the family.

According to Travis, Shannon was thrilled about because they no longer had to move because of new assignments given by The Zeitgeist. Not soon after setting up shop in the Brentwood area, they began looking for a nanny to help Shannon with their two kids while she dealt with the pangs of pregnancy. In addition to that, she has helped with the shopping, cooking, and whatever else she could provide for them.

Travis told him that they interviewed so many potential candidates for the position none of which panned out. They were about to give up when she called asking about the job. According to him, something stuck out about Chloe. True, she's gorgeous but not as gorgeous as his wife, which would score major points for any husband whose wife is currently pregnant and may not feel attractive when around her.

In any case, whether it was the fact she enjoyed playing video games like Call of Duty or the fact Travis' two daughters, Emma and Leah, immediately took a likening to her when they both saw her in the kitchen talking to the he and his wife they hired her on the spot. He remembers Travis telling him one of the most important things to him was his children's happiness and he, along with his wife, wanted to make sure they were making the right decision, which was made for them by his two daughters.

It's at that point, Chuck answers the phone to hear a distraught Chloe on the other end of the line. _"Chuck, the Riley's are all dead. How could this happen? Who could do such a thing?" _she frantically asked as her voice trembles in sadness.

"Chloe, I honestly don't know. We're all trying to make sense of it as well." Chuck calmly responds back. He needed to calm her down for own sake and at the same time try to get information from her on when she and Travis or Shannon last spoke. He hears her continue on.

_"I was supposed to spend the night there last night but a family situation came up…" _She pauses for a brief moment leading Chuck to hear trying to get herself together on the other end. _"…oh my God."_

"Calm down Chloe. Where are you right now?"

_"I'm in my house watching the news. The explosion woke me up and now I'm just sitting in my living room not believing what I'm seeing on tv."_ she struggled to say as her voice noticeably trembles from clearly being upset.

"Chloe I need you to listen to me okay. Casey and I will stop by as soon as we can. So sit tight and stay in your house all right?"

_"Okay."_ she said. _"Thanks for your concern."_ she added.

Chuck hears the other end of the line click off. As he clutches his phone in his hand Casey gets his attention. "Bartowski, why did you tell her we would stop by knowing what we're in the middle of."

"I don't know, wouldn't you want to have friends stop by to console you during this tragic time?" Chuck said glancing at him.

"Here's a little reality check for you. As much as you've grown as a spy, you still have a lot to learn about it. It's business first then tend to your friends later." grunted Casey pointing at him.

"You know you should put that on a business card or on a shirt." Chuck sarcastically says. "It fits you perfectly."

"Can it Chuck, we're here." he said as the two arrive at Mulholland Drive.

XXX

**Mulholland Drive - Tuesday 8:50 a.m.**

Chuck and Casey find themselves parked along the side panoramic roads of Los Angeles, which connects North-Hollywood to Malibu. They get out and walk the rest of the way towards the sight opening up from the road, which marches through the ridge of the Santa Monica Mountain. Its considered a popular hangout spot for not only tourists but couples as well who want to be alone.

Casey pulls back the handle on his handgun as he and Chuck creep cautiously towards the open sight. As the two of them keep heading up, everything seems to be calm except for the sound of cars down below. Casey looks around scanning the area for any sign of a clue that might have been left for them. He doesn't see anything out of the ordinary except a car sitting there, which causes him to be on high alert.

From his vantage point, there looks to be no one in the car but that doesn't mean there could be someone in there. Casey grips his gun tighter in his right hand all-the-while hugging the side metal rail. With his gun down at his side he approaches the car situated in the center parking spot of the look out area. Chuck follows close behind him and as much as he wants to look over at the beautiful scenery before him he knows it serious business.

They are a few feet away from the car when Chuck sees Casey put his hand up for him to not go any further. He then motions for him to stay where he's at while he goes to check whether its safe to proceed. The NSA Agent slowly makes his way towards the car and the first thing he does is look through the windows. He sees nothing inside except keys in ignition, a folded piece of paper taped to the steering wheel and a CD sticking out from the CD player.

After noticing the folded note, Casey then proceeds to put his hand on the hood of the engine, which is cold. It tells him the car has possibly been sitting there for several hours and not placed there recently. The thorough agent then gets on his belly to look underneath the car in order to check for any kind of explosives that could be on some type of trigger switch or on a timer.

He closely scans the entire undercarriage and finds nothing. Casey emerges from underneath the car and immediately gets on one knee. He looks towards Chuck motioning to him an all clear. As Chuck slowly moves forward while Casey moves to the other side of the car heading towards the driver's side door. The two men look at each other as Casey motions a countdown for them to open the doors simultaneously.

Chuck takes a deep breathe and places is right hand on the door handle. He closes his eyes and in that brief moment he car his heart beating a million miles a minute. The situation intensifies as he feels a plethora of mixed emotions from fear to absolute anxiety. His eyes quickly open and sees hold up 3 fingers from his right hand and then begins the countdown.

When the last finger is down Casey points at him signaling for both of them to open the doors. The two men quickly open the door in unison and when they do they quickly turn their heads closing their eyes in the process. Chuck, who has his eyes shut tightly, feels that he is still in one piece. He slowly turns to look inside the car and as he does he sees Casey looking inside as well.

Casey grabs the paper and then heads back out along with Chuck who does the same. He leans forward placing his handgun on the roof of the car. He reads the followings words on the paper and then looks directly at Chuck. "Its says to get in the car, close the doors, turn the key to start the engine, and listen to the CD."

"Are you sure about this?"

"No." he responded.

"Never lose that positive attitude Casey." Chuck sarcastically replied.

Chuck hears Casey gives usual grunt worthy response as they both cautiously get into the car. The two men close the door and as they sit there they know that what comes next, which is to turn the car on. Casey places his right on the keys and glances over at Chuck who has his eyes completely shut. The newly appointed Colonel turns his attention back to the car keys and just before turning it on he has one final thought._ If you got to go, go out with a bang_.

Casey turns the keys and prepares for the worst. After a few seconds, he looks around seeing that nothing as happened causing him to experiencing some relief. He quickly glances at Chuck who still has his eyes tightly shut. "Relax, we're still alive."

Chuck slowly opens one eye looking around and then opens both of them. "I'm not going to relax once we're out of this car." he responded.

The two men take a moment to gather themselves. Chuck then pushes the CD into the CD player and wait for whatever is on it to play. A few seconds go by when they suddenly hear the same digitized voice on the disc.

_Gentlemen, congratulations on getting the clue correct. I intentionally made it misleading in order to see how smart the two of you are. If you are hearing this, then I am correct in saying you didn't end up at Winkies Diner, which wasn't the correct location. I applaud you for figuring it out. So without any further ado here is your next clue. Parents raise the kids but what happens when they need help. Who are you gonna call? Not Ghostbusters. Crack this clue and I'll allow you plenty of time to make it towards your next destination. With that said good luck because time is of the essence._

As soon as the last part is said, Chuck and Casey immediately here the doors on the car lock click shut. They try their best to unlock the doors but to no avail. Casey is ramming his left shoulder and putting all his weight to break open the door. His efforts are suddenly halted when he feels Chuck frantically tapping him on the shoulder. "What Bartowski?"

When he turns to look at him he doesn't say a word. All he sees Chuck doing is pointing directly at the clock and from for what he sees they have at least 2 minutes to get out of the car before it blows up.

XXX

_**NOTE: HOPE YOU LIKE READING THIS CHAPTER. PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT AND TELL ME WHAT YA THINK.**_


	6. The Trunk And Nothing But The Trunk

**Mulholland Drive - Tuesday 8:50 a.m.**

"Shoot out the glass Casey!" Chuck frantically yelled out.

The NSA Agent continues to ram his left shoulder into the driver's side door in order to bust it open. "No can do Bartowski." he responded back in a seemingly calm manner.

_No can do? _Are you kidding me Chuck thinks to himself. He and Casey are in a perilous situation in which there are both locked in a car that is counting down to impending doom and he can't doing anything about it? It would be the most logical thing to do at this particular juncture. Casey shoots out the glass, they get out, and narrowly avoid being blown up to kingdom come. Plan and simple.

What's the worst that could happen other than removing pieces of glass out of your skin from escaping. Sure, it's the price to pay in order to save your own life and as much as he dislikes pain or the sight of blood for that matter he would endure it. Granted, its going to hurt like hell but having someone like Sarah pulling it out and then making it better in her own loving way is something to look forward if they ever get out this.

To Chuck, his oftentimes aggressive and easily annoyed teammate's pension for leaving a path of destruction is sorely needed at this point. If there were a button or code word that would unleash Casey in sort of an incredible Hulk type manner he would press it or say it. Unfortunately, they are both in a considerably small space leaving not enough room to put some much needed force into it.

As Chuck tries to ram his right shoulder into the passenger side car door, he soon realizes that he's not making any headway. Unlike Casey who is actually built and is capable of doing something like this, he not the type to physically bust open doors. Instead of breaking open the door, he's injuring himself to the point of quite possibly separating his shoulder or even breaking it for that matter.

"What do you mean no can do?" replied Chuck keeping his eye on the time counting down on the clock radio.

"Two reasons." grunted the former and proud marine.

Only two Chuck thinks to himself. One reason would be considered enough but two is a lot more than he bargained for. The highly volatile situation they're both isn't able to be easily solved because of two reasons. At that moment, Chuck couldn't for the life of him fathom what the two reasons he could possibly have for not busting out the windows so they could make their escape to freedom.

Chuck often wonders what goes on in that think skull of Casey's. A skull that he has witnessed break a bad guy's hand who went it for a punch. Yet, its not what's on the tough outer cranial exterior that tends to be quite the powerful weapon in a pinch its what he tends to be thinking on the inside that can be quite frightening. A psychiatrist could have a field day talking with.

The things he could reveal while lying down on the couch could make any psychiatrist run screaming from his office. To get into the mind of John Casey into figuring out how his mind works would be an absolutely intriguing feet to undertake take and yet it would also be a down right scary place to find out what he's kept hidden in the deep dark recesses of his mind.

"And they are?" Chuck quickly inquired with eyes still glued on the clock as he is knowingly failing at his seemingly futile attempt at busting open the door.

"First off…" Casey briefly pauses. He is a bit out of breathe from attempting to bust open the driver's side door for quite some time. "…"I left my gun on the roof of the car."

"Do you have a spare?" Casey just stares at Chuck. "Of course you do, dumb question. Then do your thing."

"I can't."

"Why?"

"Reason 2."

"What's reason 2?" he hesitantly asked.

"The glass…" he retorted pointing all around the car. "…its bulletproof."

Chuck's focus on the clock that reads1:45 and counting down by the second is momentarily redirected to Casey. He then puts his left hand on the front windshield while his right does the same on the passenger side window. "Are you sure?" he responded feeling the glass.

"Affirmative." replied Casey. "It's the same feel and texture on the vic." he added quickly tapping the glass with his left middle knuckle. "These babies can withstand an all out physical attack from a sledgehammer, axe, or club. Only a hand full of high profile celebrities, politicians, law enforcement, and professional security teams have these. I got to hand it to him he chose something with substance instead of style."

From Chuck's point of view, he can clearly see a glint in his eye as if he is actually admiring the handiwork Mr. Roboto has done locking the two of them in their own personal exploding coffin, which deeply concerns Chuck to the point where he immediately brings him down from cloud 9. "Glad you know you're bulletproof windshields Casey." he sarcastically said expressing a fear driven smile. "Now if you don't mind can you figure a way out of here before we go kaboom?"

"I got to say though…" A smirk appears on Casey's face as he glances at Chuck. "…I like his style." he added nodding his head.

_Wonderful._ Apparently Mr. Roboto and Casey go to the bulletproof windshield guy. Its good to know they both share the same interests when it comes to making the right choice in fitting a vehicle with the all the essentials a soldier/NSA Agent needs when fighting the bad guys or a criminal mastermind hell bent on in trying to kill the good guys in his own twisted way.

Of all the people to actually think of using bulletproof glass, other than The President of the United States, a diabolical mad man such as the one the two of them they are currently dealing with would. It's pure genius in a James Bond villain sort of way. Chuck glances at Casey and wonders if the both of them are related in some way but soon shakes those thoughts out of his head as attention is focused back on the clock counting down, which now reads 1:30.

XXX

**Mulholland Drive - Tuesday 8:50 a.m.**

As Casey is seemingly in his own little world admiring Mr. Roboto's handiwork, Chuck is frantically looking around for any possible way of getting themselves out of this dicey situation. He tries one more time in ramming his right shoulder in order to bust the door open but to no avail. It seems all is lost until he turns to look in the back area of the car and almost immediately does a double take.

"Casey!" he quickly spitted out. "The trunk."

"What about the trunk?" he replied quirking his right brow.

"This is a 2009 Honda Civic right." questions the reluctant spy.

Casey turns his head to give Chuck a questioning look. "You picked a fine time to go car shopping Bartowski." he grumbled.

Chuck bites his lower lip wanting to say something but restrains himself from doing so. "It has a safety mechanism in the trunk" he said quickly pointing to the back seat."

"Yeah. Its idiot proof meaning idiots like Morgan and even you for that matter Bartowski don't wind up locking yourselves in trunks, which is I think twice for you as I recall?"

Chuck is getting irritated at this point but pulls himself together enough to refocus his thoughts on the task at hand. "Look, all trunks now have a saftey latch inside attached to the hood of the trunk in case a child somehow locks himself inside." he said shaking his hands in front of him. "All we need to do is hit the two buttons that lower the back seat, get in trunk, pop the latch, and we're home free." the brown haired added with a freaked out smile.

The burly NSA agent sits there for a moment staring at Chuck who, to him, looks like a complete idiot they way he's nervously smiling at him all-the-while looking to the back of the car every few seconds . If he could comparing to something, it would be like a overly hyperactive dog not being able to sit still and his attention span doesn't last for too long although in this case Chuck's attention span last a while…a long while.

"Good job Bartowski." grunted Casey. Chuck's freaked out smile grows even wider as he looks towards the back the seat. "But…" he added.

The word _but_ completely shuts Chuck down. He momentarily closes his eyes and thinks to himself that now is not a good time for more bad news. Chuck swears if he gets out of this alive he's going to need therapy after this…again. The man who is hopefully going to marry the woman of his dreams seriously wonders if its Casey's mission to either protect him or drive him completely crazy.

The latter is oftentimes the case. Its Casey's job to protect him and even though he doesn't enjoy at time he uses the time to insult him, Sarah, hit him upside the back of the head, he and Sarah's relationship, make fun of him because he expresses his "lady feelings", threaten to throw him down a deep dark hole, or whatever the case maybe. Despite all that, he's loyal to the team and he would absolutely get in the face of anyone who would threaten his team.

"But what?" he frantically stated. "What could you possibly say that would make you utter the word but?" Chuck added glancing at the clock.

"Simple. Mr. Roboto as you call him quite possibly already thought of that contingency plan and probably welded it shut."

Upon hearing that, Chuck slumps back in his seat closing his eyes. "We're dead." Chuck muttered under his breathe.

"No we aren't. Never say die Bartowski…" Casey looks directly into Chuck's eyes. "…remember that." he firmly stated pointing at him.

"Casey." he said placing both his hand over his face and shaking his head. "...unless you can channel MacGyver and somehow get us out of here in…" Chuck drops his hands and opens his right eye looking at the clock and then closes it again. "…1 minute and 20 seconds then don't say anything please. I want the last image I see to be Sarah's face and not you're ugly mug. No offense." he added briefly opening his eyes to look at Casey.

"None taken." he replied. "However, you're giving up too easily Bartowski. When I said Mr. Roboto may possibly have welded it shut he might not have reinforced the back seat giving us both the opportunity to escape."

Chuck immediately sits up looking at Casey. "Then what are we waiting for…" he frantically spitted out. "...grab your spare gun and shoot out the back seat."

"I'm not going to waist my bullets on the back seat just yet." Casey calmly replied.

_You got to be kidding me!_ Is Casey trying to give me an aneurism Chuck thinks to himself. The nonchalant attitude that Casey is treating the whole situation is causing Chuck to experience some major anxiety to the point of hyperventilating. Unfortunately, there aren't any paper bags in the car to breathe into and so he has to resort to just nearly rubbing his palms on his lap repeatedly in order to not let out a girlish scream.

"Why not!" screamed Chuck.

"Because you're going to cut to back seat open in the form of an X, gut it, and then I'll do the rest." he responded holding up his military fighting/utility knife. Chuck has a confused look on his face as to where he hid it but before he can say anything Casey continues on. "How fast can you tear open the back seat? Chuck doesn't even say word as he wastes no time in turning around in order to jump out of the front passenger seat, grabs the knife, and immediately heads to the back seat all in one fell swoop.

XXX

**Mulholland Drive - Tuesday 8:51 a.m.**

"60 seconds Chuck!"

_Could you please not tell me the time Casey_. As Chuck is frantically gutting the back seat of the car so many thoughts are running through his mind at this point. Essentially, they all center around bombs and how ever since Bryce sent him the intersect he has dealt with so many of them over the course of 3 and half years. The first one being Vuc Audric who planted a computer bomb at the crown plaza hotel where General Stanfield was speaking at a conference.

It took absolute sheer luck on his part to come up with that idea on the spot. Of course, Casey was hesitant on him even attempting to disarm the computer because he didn't considered him a trained expert in disarming a bomb of that magnitude. Luckily, the computer that Audric used was a Prism Express laptop with a DOS override and was able to shut the computer down with a virus whereby accomplishing his first impromptu mission.

He had to thank his furry little best friend Morgan for unknowingly giving him assistance. It wasn't for his Smeagol like obsession with one adult star Irene Demova Team Chuck wouldn't be here today. In Chuck's mind, Morgan is the unofficial 5th member of the team and as much as Casey would clearly dispute that claim knowing how much of a nuisance he considers him to be he's pretty useful in a bind.

The second instance of his involvement with a bomb wasn't really a bomb at all. He remembers standing there with Sarah as he felt a mixture of being stunned, shocked, and amazed. As the timer was counting down, he called upon the powers of the intersect to work in order to defuse it in some way. Nothing happened, no flash or anything that could trigger images that could disarm that huge monstrosity of a bomb.

Actually, something did happen. It was in that moment where as Chuck closed his eyes preparing to blow up into tiny little pieces that he felt himself being grabbed and kissed in the lips. He didn't know what was happening at first but after a moment or two he kissed back holding in his arms the woman who earlier threatened to shoot him if didn't ober her orders to leave the premises.

To him, it will and always be a memory that will be engrained in his head for years to come. It was a kiss that Sarah would later reveal to not only him, but to her family in level 36 of Wexler Industries that it was indeed actually about him. He couldn't have done without the twist of all twists in which his old roommate/rogue C.I.A. spy/Sarah's ex is alive and well kept alive by Fulcrum in order to retrieve the intersect.

In any case, the 3rd instance of bomb disarming came when Vuc Audric once again made an appearance in order to take a second shot in taking out General Stanfield once again. He took the chance at the Crown Plaza Hotel where he was at the time backing John McCain for the presidency of the United States. Now instead of using a bomb instead of the conference hall, he attempted to use a bomb in the main parking garage.

In order to get to the bomb, he would have to get past Audric's accomplice Goran Bratislav who is huge. Huge in a Michael Clark Duncan in the movie Scorpion King kind of huge. Chuck never let up as he continued zapping Bratislav with the tazer to the point where he got on his back and held on like a bucking bronco until he eventually wore down to the point of being knocked complete out.

It took some doing on his part, but he got him down. However, Chuck wasn't finished as he had to deal with the bomb in the van. When he opens it up its not a computer he's dealing as its something way bigger that a x-rated computer virus can stop. He vividly remember a truck across the street from the plaza loaded with liquid nitrogen in the back giving him an idea.

After tazing the driver, he drives the truck to the van and stops right beside it. He uses the liquid nitrogen to freeze the bomb and he quickly of it due to an episode of MacGyver that he watched. It was a risk that played to his favor as it complete shut down because of the components being effected by the liquid nitrogen. 2 out of 3 bombs disarmed and more to yet to come on his journey as a spy.

Chuck thoughts abruptly ends when he rips, tears, cuts, and shreds open enough space of the back seat material for he and Casey to fit through. "Casey!" Chuck yelled out loud. "I got it!" he added quickly looking back to the clock that reads 30 seconds.

Casey pushes Chuck aside and unloads all his rounds in his gun at the plastic backing of the back seat. They are 12 well placed shots all in a circular pattern and given the size of the circle pattern its enough room for the two of them to fit. Casey jumps into the back seat and then leans back bracing himself against the two seats behind him. He kicks the bullet ridden plastic backing several times until it gives way.

At the same time this happens, he quickly grabs Chuck forcing him into the hole to the point of actually shoving him into the trunk with his left foot. The two don't have any time to waste as the clock reads 30 seconds and with Chuck halfway into the trunk he painfully twists his body in order to grab the latch inevitably opening it. Chuck pulls himself up and out of the trunk. He then reaches for Casey who is halfway out himself and with all the strength he has pulls Casey out.

The two men are about to run for their lives when Casey suddenly stops causing Chuck to scream out him. "What are you doing!" Chuck watches as Casey runs to the drivers side door, grabs his handgun that he left on top of the roof of the car, and then hightails it out of there towards Chuck. When he reaches him, the two men turn around running as fast as they can towards the safety of the crown vic.

The car suddenly explodes not once but several time in a ball of flame behind them causing Chuck and Casey to jump up and then fall hard to the ground. As they both are lying on the ground, they turn to see the 2009 Honda Civic up in the air and then fall to the ground upside down. The two men narrowly escape death and as they are lying there Chuck turns his head to look at Casey.

"You just had to go after your gun huh?" he said shaking his head all-the-while breathing out heavily on the ground.

Casey pats the gun that is currently in his left hand laying on his chest. "I like this gun, its my favorite." responded Casey with a smirk on his face and then looks up breathing out a big sigh of relief.

XXX

**Castle - Tuesday 8:55 a.m.**

Sarah sits at the main computer console of Castel totally transfixed on what is on the screen before. She doesn't really care what Bryce is doing, as long as he is scanning for any documents, reports, files, photos, etc. pratically anything that will help them reveal the remaining cards left on the table, so to speak, giving them the identities of the last 3 members of Dead Man's Hand.

Even though she is focused on the task at hand, her thoughts are on Chuck and Casey who are out there risking their lives because of some madman exacting some type of twisted revenge. A revenge so well planned out and diabolically heinous it ended up costing the life of one of their own who she considered not just a teammate, but part of the family…her family.

_The bastard will pay Trav._ Those were the words that ran across her mind at the thought of her fallen friend and teammate. A teammate who brought a whole new life and energy to the team. As much as she wanted to grieve, she knew it wasn't the right time or place because she has a job to do and in order to do that she has to stay focused for not only her partner, but also for the man she loves.

I wouldn't be who I am without the two of them she thought to herself sitting there at the computer. If it wasn't for Casey abrasiveness and yet seemingly thought provoking revelations of the truth comes to not only the job, but her relationship with Chuck she wouldn't be the person she is now. No offense to Bryce, when it comes to Colonel John Casey he the best damn partner she has ever had.

She can't count the number of times he has nudged her in the right direction . Sarah distinctly remembers the time where they were ordered to go after the Fulcrum Agent Lizzy otherwise known as the Pita Girl after discovering several bugs in the Buy More. Her worst fears came to light as Lizzy found out that Chuck is the intersect and because of this Beckman, along with Graham, gave orders for Chuck to be put in a bunker by an agent codenamed Longshore unbeknownst to Sarah and Casey.

After the briefing, it was Casey who told her to go after Chuck while he looked for Lizzy. She so wanted to hug him at that point, but duty called and just like that she raced as fast as she could to the rendezvous point where Longshore was going to hand off Chuck to helicopter that would send him to a bunker. When she finally the two men, she pleaded with her fellow agent in not taking him so much so that she actually was going to shoot him.

Her efforts failed and Longshore gave the both of them to briefly talk. She wanted to say so much to him in that moment but unfortunately he was the one doing the talking. As she stood there listen to him talking about how she need to talk to Ellie, Morgan, and his friends she began welling up with emotions. It was right then and there she knew her feeling for him were becoming much stronger, which were shown by the tears being shed because of him.

When he walked away heading over to Longshore, a voice screamed in her head for her to tell him I love you. What ended up coming out of her mouth instead was considered something of their entire cover/fake/real relationship…save you later. As much as she has saved Chuck over the past 3 and half years, he has saved her from a life that would brought more sadness than happiness.

She made the right decision saying in Los Angeles and even though she denied it first to herself, her love for Chuck made her stronger. It was a slow process, but by opening herself up emotionally, mentally, and personally to him she has become not only a far better agent, but also a far better woman as well. Chuck has been there for her throughout the entire roller coaster ride of their relationship and she sure as hell will be there for him no matter what.

Sarah's thoughts are suddenly broken by the sound of Bryce's voice. She turns to look at him as he points to the computer screen in front of him. "Sarah!"

"What is it?"

"I think I got something." he happily responded. "The ace of clubs." Bryce added.

_It's a start._ Sarah nods in acknowledgement of what her former partner may have found and before heading over to Bryce's computer she picks up her handgun.

XXX

**_NOTE: I REALLY ENJOYED WRITING THIS CHAPTER ESPECIALLY CASEY AND CHUCK TRAPPED IN THE CAR. HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE RED AND LIKE ALWAYS PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT._**


	7. Jealousy and Anger

**Castle - Tuesday 8:55 a.m.**

Sarah leans over placing her left hand on the on the computer console as she is slightly hovers over Bryce. Her hair is tied in a pony tail so as to not brush up against him. She is well aware of how close they are while her other hand is placed behind the back of Bryce's chair, which is holding tightly her handgun as a precautionary measure in case he needs another lesson in boundaries.

"What do you got?" she inquired from her former partner.

Bryce glances up at Sarah and then points to the screen. He punches a few keys bringing up a couple files on the screen in front of them. "Check it out. Back in 04' a high level government official in Colombia was assassinated." he stated. "Apparently, he was secretly a part of very powerful drug cartel but after a while his conscience got the better of him.

"What happened?" questioned Sarah.

"He was supposed to broker a deal with The Feds allowing him asylum in the U.S. in exchange for information concerning everything from their contacts to where many of their operations are located at." he responded. "He never showed up to meet with The Feds and when they went to his hotel room they found him hanging by his wrists from the ceiling fan." Bryce brings up a photo that causes the two agents to wince at the disturbing photo. "As you can clearly see he was given a Colombian neck tie and found on him was the ace of clubs.

"We there any photos or any surveillance video from the hotel security system."

"I'm way ahead of you." Bryce punches a few keys and then brings up not only photos but surveillance video of the perpetrator in different areas of the hotel. "On the day the Colombian official died, the same individual kept popping up possibly doing not only recon but also planning exit strategies for a quick escape."

As Sarah is listening and taking in all the information Bryce is providing her, she forgot how smart he is. True, his ruggedly good looks and his captivating charm combined with years of government training makes him the perfect spy that has hooked many female marks who couldn't help but be smitten by him including her at one point, which was considered a big mistake on her part.

However, behind the looks and the charm is a smart man who after all went to Stanford along side her fiancé Chuck. She remembers Chuck telling her about how they met in the quad and how Bryce mentioned some class he was in. It ended up with the two men sharing a common bond concern the game Zork. It would be that common bon in which they would try creating a game of their own similar to that.

It was in that meeting in which Bryce introduced him to the woman who believes she shares a son with him…Jill. In any case, the friendship would soon be broken after Bryce informed Professor Flemming that Chuck cheated on his test scores. Sarah distinctly remembers being in Chuck's room and watching the video of him telling Flemming that his best friends isn't cut out to be in the field.

The look of actual concern, safety, frustration, anger, panic, and possibly even a bit of desperation for another human being was plastered all over his face. It was something very rare to see from him now as he is more concerned with himself and fulfilling his own wants/needs. It's a far cry from the man he now to man he is was on the screen pleading to Flemming not to let the C.I.A. change or even kill his friend.

Bryce was truly a different man back then. Caring, thoughtful, compassionate, and looking out for people namely his friend and according to Chuck the only friend he ever had who he could trust. The C.I.A. truly changes you and possibly IF the circumstances were different without the creation of the intersect, Fulcrum, or her showing up to Burbank meeting her future husband then the two of them could have worked out.

Sarah sets aside her thoughts and refocuses her thoughts on the screen in front of her. Surveillance video of the perp in question in the stairwell, walking the halls, and entering different areas of the hotel wearing the hotel uniform and passing not only hotel staff who didn't realize a non employee in front of them, but guests as well who asked for possible directions to certain areas of the hotel, which he knew quite well.

"Any way we can get a facial recognition going?" inquired Sarah.

"That's a negative." replied the deep cover C.I.A agent shaking his head. "Whoever this person is, he or she carefully concealed their identity from not only cameras, but mirrors as well." he added looking up at her.

Bryce sees the seriousness in her eyes as she intently looks at the screen in front of her. His attention on her is suddenly broken when he hears the sound of a trigger being pulled back behind his head causing him immediately turn his attention back to the screen in front of him. "Assassins make mistakes even though they may not know it." she emphatically stated. "Check again and look harder this time. People are counting on us Bryce, so stop thinking about yourself for once or thinking about stealing me away from Chuck because it isn't going to happen. " she added pointing at the screen.

Sarah shoots a glaring look at him before heading towards the main Castle computer with her handgun clutched tightly in her right hand. As she heads in that direction, Bryce momentarily looks over at her and then turns his attention back to the screen in front of him that has several small windows with different areas of the hotel surveillance video. He starts punching away at the keys and then suddenly stops.

"For what's it worth…" Sarah stops in front of her chair situated in front of the main computer. Bryce looks over at Sarah who doesn't look back but is listening to him. "…I really did mean what I said to Chuck about taking good care of you the last time I showed up." He shakes his head as he looks back at the computer screen. "Chuck always used to say to me back at Stanford that I always got the great girls and he's right. The thing is though I may have always got the great girls, but its Chuck who ended up ultimately getting the greatest girl of all and I'm jealous of him." he added typing away on the computer.

XXX

**Mulholland Drive - Tuesday 8:56 a.m.**

_What a way to spend my day off._ As Chuck lays on the asphalt, he momentarily closes his eyes to take a breather for a couple of seconds or so. In that moment, the man who has all the government secrets in his head would love to just lie there and take short nap to recharge his batteries. Except for a quick shower, he hasn't been given time to rest since he and Travis did their morning running earlier in the day.

The sound of fatigue is not only heard, but is also seen on his weary face. Chuck has been running on pure adrenaline ever since the explosion and his whole body aches, mainly in his legs, to the point where he feels an absolute burning sensation within them. He can feel the heaviness begin to set in to where his hamstrings are tightening up as he lays there on the ground.

What he wouldn't give for a massage right now preferably from Sarah he thinks to himself. For Chuck, its practically the best part of the day when they have a moment to share together before going their separate ways for work. Ever since he has started running she has offered to give him a massage and she most definitely has the right touch when it comes to making the aches and pain going away not only his legs, but also in his lower back.

Yet, it doesn't deter his resolve in catching the person responsible for murdering his friend/teammate, as well as his family even it means playing their sick and twisted game. Chuck, along with Casey, have been running and gunning throughout different areas of Los Angeles figuring out clues that Mr. Roboto has given them. Unfortunately, Casey has had the privilege of possibly having his morning cup of joe being that he's always up early in the morning before him possibly pruning his bonsai tree or cleaning his guns.

So far, they have been able to solve the clues but nearly avoided going to the wrong location because of Casey's insistence that he was right. As hard headed as he is, he needed Casey to trust him that the location they were going to was the wrong one. Chuck wonders what would have happened if he didn't speak up or take the keys from the ignition because the old him wouldn't have the balls to do so.

It was an absolute big gamble to turn off the vic and take the key but it was a gamble that paid off. If he did that 3 and half years ago Casey would have probably thrown him in a deep dark bunker for even touching his beloved crown vic. Sure, it's the second one he would be driving after the unfortunate incident in which he redirected a missile that was going to blow up a boat that not only contained important evidence, but his best friend as well.

Chuck is physically and mentally tired. He's had a gun pointed at him by his emotionally constipated friend/teammate again, scraped up, banged, got the wind knocked out him, shoved through a small hole by Casey, and nearly got blown up in the span of several hours. For Chuck its another day at the office but usually it happens to him in the span of several days.

He refuses to rest because he doesn't want to let down his fallen comrade who was killed in cold blood. It wasn't just Travis that got killed but his entire family who were probably fast asleep in their beds when the house exploded. Chuck couldn't wrap his brain around someone that evil who live themselves killing an entire family in order to send a message to him.

His thoughts are abruptly ended the sound of grunt 35...sleep later and get your butt up. "I'm not sleeping." Chuck stated with his eyes closed. Chuck hears another grunt that he doesn't quite recognize. "That's new wh…"

Chuck doesn't finish what he is about to say as he's yanked up from the ground and on to his feet. With his eyes now open, he brushes himself off all-the-while looking at Casey who is brushing off his gun and then stick behind him. As they stand both there several feet away from the fiery wreckage that was once a 2009 Honda Civic, the sound of Casey's cell phone goes off.

He turns to see him take out his cell phone from his pocket and answers it. "This is Colonel Casey." he grunted into the phone.

Casey walks past Chuck in the middle of a conversation and heads towards the crown vic leading his brown, haired teammate to stand there for a second. Chuck then follow sui and upon reaching him, he sees Casey stop at the driver's side door to where Chuck walk around and inevitably stand in front of him. The look on Casey's face as he's listening to whoever is on the other end of the line deeply concerns Chuck.

So many thoughts are running through his mind as he is trying to read his facial expressions, which can be difficult task to figure out at times. His thoughts immediately end when Casey closes his phone clutching it in his right hand. He turns and leans against the driver's side door of the crown vic causing Chuck to have even greater concern.

"What is it?" Chuck inquired.

"NSA cleaners did a thorough sweep after the fire at Travis' house." Chuck can see Casey struggling to get out the words that were told to him on the phone. Casey turns around extending his arms placing both hand firmly against the side of the roof of his crown vic and then lower his head. "Bodies have been recovered." responded the NSA agent as he looks over Chuck.

XXX

**Castle - Tuesday 9:00 a.m.**

_Bryce jealous of Chuck?_ That is hard to believe she thinks to herself. She remembers her former spy partner not having a jealous bone in his body as he's more the arrogant, self absorbed type of guy who you just love to hate. A guy who you so wanted to punch in the face, which she has wanted to do a time or two back when they were teamed up as partners.

As Sarah sits at the main computer of Castle punching away at the keys, her thoughts hearken back to Chuck telling her how he and Bryce had sort of a friendly rivalry in college. A rivalry that have Chuck end up coming so close to besting his former frat brother and yet falling short. He would always feel like second banana whenever it came to Bryce, especially after he thought he was dead only to find out from Sarah he's alive.

She remember seeing the nervous smile on his face as she walked up to him in Buy More. There was absolute happiness and contentment in his voice as he began babbling on about leaving her several message leading him to get straight to the point of asking her out on a real date. Sarah then dropped the bomb on him and the smile, happiness and contentment washed completely away.

Sarah regretted treating Chuck the way she did when Bryce once again became an issue. Her thoughts and actions in which she quickly went over to him after he was shot by Casey in his apartment completely ignoring Chuck were a mistake. True, he passed out thinking he was dead but to not check if he was okay was uncalled for on her part. It would have made Chuck feel better to know she was concerned for him but no she didn't do that.

He and Sarah never really talked about that particularly awkward time as they both decided to just leave it in the past. However, the second time Bryce showed up Chuck was riding high on cloud 9 after literally swinging down from the Buy More roof in order to save her from Sasha Banachek. She quickly went over to him lying on the sidewalk to see how he was doing.

In that moment looking down at him, she had never seen someone in that magnitude risk their own life to save hers. It was just another thing to add to the list of reasons to fall in love with one Chuck Bartowski. Unfortunately, the night he came to visit at her apartment wearing a white dinner jacket bringing along with him a red rose and champagne Bryce was there. It was a complete surprise to her.

She again not only saw the same look he gave her at Buy More, but also the same reaction when Bryce walked up behind her to open the door. The way he said "Hello Chuck" was like getting punched in his stomach more than once. Bryce was enjoying him squirm as Chuck stood there in seemingly stunned silence holding the rose in his right hand looking from her to Bryce and then back to her again.

It saddened her to see his bright smile she grew to love on his face suddenly fall completely flat knowing that the two of them shared a special moment together earlier that day helping him with Awesom's Valentine Day surprise for Ellie. Sarah remembers him just walking off feeling once again defeated. She wanted so badly to chase after him to explain the situation but she didn't want Bryce thinking that she may possibly have compromised herself.

In any case, the green eyed monster of jealousy continued on to Castle before Beckman briefed them on a mission concerning one Von Hayes. When she sat down, Chuck immediately asked her questions concerning Bryce but again shuts him down. After a brief intro by Beckman, she gives orders to infiltrate the party as a married couple in order to steal back the chip containing every spy's name including Casey's and Sarah's.

Looking at Chuck across the conference table she could sense his enthusiasm grow but again falls flat when Bryce makes his appearance giving a corny line about L.A. traffic. He nonchalantly walks down the stairs, sits right next to Chuck, pulling out a wedding ring placing it on her finger, and then hears him call her Mrs. Anderson. Upon saying that, she glances at Chuck whose eyes go wide.

The brief time she spent with Bryce top side in Orange Orange was somewhat uncomfortable for her. He didn't waste any time in working his charm on her commenting on how the company knows how to put her in cute outfits. As flattered as she was, Sarah reminded her that they aren't under cover just yet and he responds by saying that they can never be too careful.

She distinctly remembers telling him that they should strictly keep The Andersons as cover and not have any distractions to deal with. Move forward to her apartment where she is getting ready in another room when she overhears a conversation going on between Chuck and Bryce. Before heading out to meet the two, she took one last look in the mirror and wonders if Chuck will say anything about the red just she's wearing.

Upon reaching the door, she took a deep breath and then steps out immediately looking at Chuck with Bryce standing behind him. From what she saw, he was in total awe of her looking her up and down unlike Bryce who didn't say a thing. She expected Chuck to compliment her by saying she looked absolutely beautiful but what she received was something totally different. He told her she looked good but red wasn't really his color, which surprised and disappointed her at the same time.

The unfortunate situation in her apartment was over and done with. It was then at Von Hayes' party where things were going smoothly until it took a turn for the worst as she got injured going after Chuck instead of Von Hayes who had their identities on a microchip in his possession. In her hospital room, she remembers waking up to assortment of flowers in her room all from her former partner Bryce.

Yet, when Chuck walked in with just gardenias in his hands she beamed with joy. Those have been her favorite flowers since she was a kid and was touched that he took the time to know that unlike Bryce who simply bought a bunch of flowers to make her feel better. When she told him to set them down, he sees him turn back to see the entire back room covered in flowers.

Sarah saw the disappointment in his eyes once again as he's holding the gardenias in his hands. She vividly remembers him telling her that no matter what it is he'll always come in second to that guy. There were so many responses that she wanted to respond back with but what ended coming out was two words…not always. That two word response she gives him brought out a smile in him that led to her smiling back.

For Bryce to say that he's jealous of Chuck is absolutely surprising to her. Essentially, Chuck has been living in Bryce's shadow ever since Sanford but now according to him he's now living in his shadow. Whether he's telling the truth or not, she can't help but feel a little happy knowing that he can't have her because she's in love with a man who knows more about her than Bryce does.

The shoe is on the other foot she thinks to herself. Bryce Larkin has been making a complete ass of himself because he essentially lost and it bothers him. A hint of a smile appears on her face as that bit of information would make her fiancé's beam with joy in knowing that the charming, suave, sophisticated, ladies man super spy Bryce Larkin is actually jealous of Chuck Bartowski because he ultimately won the heart of the best girl in the end.

XXX

**Mulholland Drive - Tuesday 9:03 a.m.**

"They found all the bodies in the house?" Chuck remorsefully asked.

The reality of the situation quickly hit Chuck at that exact moment. The image of Travis walking into his house and then having it explode kept playing in a loop in head. In that instance, he wanted to remove that particular memory from his memory banks in the same fashion that Ben Affleck's character Michael Jennings had certain memories deleted in the movie Paycheck.

It would be an unfortunate price to pay for Affleck's character as he would also delete the memory of the woman he loves Rachel Porter played by the beautiful actress Uma Thurman. What he wouldn't give to see the future with what Affleck's character built for his arch nemesis Jimmy Rethrick played superbly by Aaron Eckhart, but for Chuck he knows the future is what he makes of it. His thoughts are abruptly ended when he hears Casey grunt.

Casey picks his head up and turns it in order to look at Chuck. "Not all." he responded.

A look of absolute confusion appears on Chuck's face. "What? What do you mean not all Casey?"

The burly NSA Agent pushes himself back and stands straight up. He turns to face Chuck and locks eyes with him. "Two bodies were found of a man and woman." he said. "However, the bodies of the 3 kids haven't. been found." he added.

Chuck is in utter disbelief at what he just heard. The fact that the Travis and Shannon's kids were apparently not in the house when the explosion occurred troubled him. "What are you saying, that Mr. Roboto has a conscience after all?"

"Conscience or not whoever this person is…" Casey points his finger at him. "…he's still a slime bag. Always remember that." he emphatically stated.

Casey sees Chuck nods at him. Its at this point, the frustration and anger Casey is feeling causes him pace back and forth in a restless manner. He turns around fuming and suddenly slams both his hands on top of the crown vic leading Chuck to jump a bit. As he lightly hit's the side of his right fist several times on the roof of his car, Chuck attempts to assure his teammate they will get him.

"Don't give up on me now big guy." he said.

He has seen Casey angry and frustrated before but after hearing that Mr. Roboto has possibly those 3 kids it made his blood boil. It gave him a whole new purpose to go after the dirtbag who basically murdered Travis and his wife Shannon. He shakes his head at what Chuck said to him. "I'm not giving up Bartowski." angrily grunted Casey.

"I'm glad to hear that because you and I have 3 kids who are out there counting on us to find them." Chuck places his left hand on Casey's right shoulder but quickly removes it when he gives grunt 29...hands off or I break it off. "Its our job or should I say our mission to not only bring Mr. Roboto to justice, but to also bring those 3 kids back home safe and sound." he added.

"Look, one of things we now know is that this person is a soldier and not a monster." Casey responded. "A monster would have killed everybody in the house but a soldier would not have killed the children." he said.

Chock nods. "Then Leah, Emma, and Wesley have now become an added priority to the mission.

"Affirmative." answered Casey. "Once we figure out the next clue we're going to playing his game by our rules." he firmly stated. "I'm seriously pissed off now."

A look of seriousness appears on Chuck's face as his eyebrows furrow. _Time to unleash the Casey._

XXX

_**NOTE: HOPE YOU LIKE THIS CHAPTER. LIKE ALWAYS PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT AFTER READING.**_


	8. Back To The Future

**Inside Casey's Crown Vic - Tuesday 9:10 a.m.**

"I hope you remembered what the next clue that was on that disc Bartowski…." Casey said glancing over to Chuck in the passenger seat. "…because unless you have a time machine stashed somewhere to go back in time to grab it before it blew up in the car then an innocent civilian will die.

Chuck knew he didn't need to go back to the future in a DeLoreon, a flux capacitor, 1.21 gigawatts of electricity, and Doc Brown by his side to retrieve the disc. Thinking about it though, he in a way considers himself to be Marty McFly as he is oftentimes accident prone, brave in the face in danger when it counts the most, clever, and can most definitely be resourceful. In addition to that, like Marty, he can take unnecessary risks to show others how brave he truly is.

When it comes to the love of his life Sarah she is most definitely is his Jennifer Parker and like any arch nemesis he would have to contend with his version of Biff namely of one Bryce Larkin who ruined any kind of future for him but it all worked out for the best. He is marrying the girl of his dreams, has his own computer software business, and sees a bright future ahead of him.

In any case, one thing Chuck could always count on is his memory and his Johnny Mnemonic like ability to recall certain things. He had a knack for retaining a lot information even when he was a little kid so much so that his parents considered him a smart and gifted child. His ability in being able to soak in as much information would be put to good use when he went to college at Stanford.

Of all the classes that he took, the one taught by Professor Flemming concerning subliminal messages was considerably easy to him. He remembers acing ever test that came his way and unbeknownst to him it raised a keen interest with not only Flemming who immediately put him in the C.I.A. recruitment track, but also the C.I.A. who wanted him for the Omaha Project.

It technically began when he flashed on his school ID card and saw a C.I.A. file marked with his name on it within the intersect. It completely threw him for a loop and he freaked out like usual then went to the first person in order to ask why was Casey but unfortunately he didn't know, which was really frustrating to him at the time. He wanted answers and he was going to get them no matter what.

However, in order to get those answers he had to back to his past but that meant going back to the one place he truly despised…Stanford. Stanford was always considered a jumping off point for him to have a successful future. Unfortunately, his future of a having a successful software company with Bryce as his partner and married to Jill did not come to fruition as he ended up getting kicked out of school.

For the better part of 5 years, he spent it practically digging his own grave and at the same time filling it by wallowing in self pity. It was a rough patch in his life that he would most certainly like to go back in order to erase it from his past because there was a point where he just wanted to give up on himself and that began his downward spiral of self doubt in the belief that he thing will get better for him in the future.

Thinking about it, he never thought of himself as having a future at all. He saw himself stuck in the same dead end job at Buy More with his best friend who had no ambitions at all of working hard like the rest of the employees. The position of responsibility was placed on him by Big Mike to keep the three ring circus along with its residents clowns in line and that responsibility was at time too much to the point where he just wanted to fade away like Marty was about to do near the end of the first movie.

In a sense, he intentionally stuck himself in the past and would not allow himself to move forward into the future. All the emotions that were attached to Bryce, Jill, and Stanford was something he continually held on to. It wasn't until one Sarah Walker stepped into his present life would unknowingly be turned upside down in a bad way but slowly cause his future to change in a good way.

Yet, it wasn't just his future that was changing by her stepping into his life as he was unknowingly changing Sarah's future as well. Who would of that an ordinary guy like himself would fall in love with a no nonsense beautiful spy whose sole mission was to protect him and she in turn would slowly fall in love with him. Nobody, not even himself, could have never predicted that future to ever even have happen.

The future he thinks to himself. He's not going to have much of a future if this lunatic Mr. Roboto has anything to say about it. Chuck thoughts end and then turns to Casey shooting a reassuring look over at him. "Parents raise the kids but what happens when they need help. Who are you gonna call? Not Ghostbusters. " he stated.

"It's nice to see the explosion didn't cause any damage to that head of yours." Casey replied.

"Nice to know you care Casey."

"I don't." he grunted. "You're the only guy that can make sense of these cockamamie clues. I'm along for the ride in case something physical happens like a fight breaking out which I'm more than happy to partake in." Casey added. "So start solving the clue moron.

Chuck gives Casey a quick glance and then begins deciphering the clue given to them. "Well, for one thing the clue doesn't involve us going to a movie theater or a particular address because Ghostbusters was set in New York Here's a fun fact…"

Casey immediately cuts him off in mid sentence. "How about I give you this fun fact Bartowski." grumbled the disgruntled government agent shooting a glaring look at him. "Either solve the clue or I kill you with my right thumb."

"The clue is about a babysitter. When parents need help they call a babysitter." Chuck quickly stated. There is a brief moment of silence when Chuck's eyes suddenly go wide. "Or you call a nanny. Casey, the next clue is about Chloe!"

XXX

**Castle - Tuesday 9:15 a.m.**

Bryce sits at the computer trying to find any sign of the assassin's reflection known only by their calling card the ace of spades. Its tedious, his fingers were hurting, and his eyes were becoming strained from staring straight at the screen. As he sits there intently scanning the small individual windows of the computer screen he couldn't help but think on why he just admitted to Sarah he's jealous of Chuck.

The first time he walked into Graham's office he was immediately attracted to her. Granted, it was strictly professional at first but that would eventually change. True, they're relationship was solid when it came to the missions itself as both of them worked like a well oiled machine kicking butt and taking names like they always do.

He distinctly remembers a mission in Bogota Columbia in 2005 where the two of them were making their escape from two baddies who were hot on their trail. The maneuvered their way through the packed streets filled with people and merchandise ending up in a alley with no way out. As he turned the corner seeing Sarah with the brief case in her hand, he was caught from behind by one of the bad guys and had a gun placed firmly against the right side of his head.

As he was in his clutches, he shot a look over to her that he has done a million times before signaling her to do her thing. Bryce saw the intense focus in her eyes as she prepared to take care of the man that was threatening to kill him unless he got the suitcase back. To him, there was never any doubt on his part that he was going to live because Sarah was an excellent shot and he trusted her with his life.

He saw a hint of a smile on her face told him that this would be a piece of cake as she has done this many times before. That smile told him that she had him locked and zeroed in. The moment came and the look on her face was instense as she pulled out the gun from behind her and dropped him in an instant. There was absolutely no hesitation on her part as she shot the guy in the head without even thinking.

He never doubted her and the look on her face when he gave her the rose was that of pure enjoyment. It was a look they shared whenever a mission went well especially if the both them came out of a situation narrowly avoiding death. It would be a perfect partnership as they connected with each other in every way but the one thing he could never connect with her was emotionally. In order to do that he had get past the walls she put up.

There were times where he wanted to initiate a conversation with her but instead of talking they would end up between the sheets. As much as he enjoyed it, he never could for the life of him get her to talk and open up about her past. True, a spy never really divulges much about their past even to their own partners but to him Sarah's an intriguing woman who he wanted to get to know.

Unfortunately, he didn't get that chance to and would never get to. When he sent Chuck the intersect, he knew that Sarah would be sent to protect him being the one person who he considered a friend in this world. What he also knew there was a possibility that Chuck would fall for her because after all she is a very striking and beautiful woman. He never imagined that she would fall for him.

For the first time in his life, he was actually jealous of the time he spent talking with her while he was fighting the good fight against Fulcrum. One of the things he always knew about Chuck was his innate ability to have people open up and he was sure that Sarah was going to put up those same walls like she did with him. He was wrong as there were tell tale signs here and there but what sealed it for him was when he talked with his sister's boyfriend Devon. He remembers the conversation vividly.

_"How do you know Sarah?" Devon asked as sits there cleaning the cut under his right eye._

_Bryce winces in pain and then responds. "She's my ex."_

_"Based on all the flowers you sent," Devon replied. "I'd say you still have feelings for her."_

_He watches as Devon gets up and walks behind him in order to get some bandages. "It's complicated" he responded back._

_The somewhat injured spy sees him return to the chair in front him. "I know. She's dating my soon-to-be-brother-in-law, Chuck."_

_Bryce put on a surprised look on his face because in his mind they were after all in a cover relationship so he had to play it off. "I didn't know. Sarah said she wanted to tell me something, but then she got hurt."_

_"Devon presses on the butterfly band-aid causing him to sound out a hint of pain. "Cuts pretty deep."_

_"So…" Bryce asked with curiosity. "…Chuck and Sarah serious?"_

_"I specialize in cardiothoracic medicine," Devon answered. "That means there's one thing in the world I know best. The human heart. I've spent enough time with them to see how they are together. See how she looks at him. My professional opinion?" Devon pauses as he hears the words that truly cut pretty deep. "She's in love with Chuck, dude."_

In hindsight, the words "cuts pretty deep" was a very true statement. It became very clear to others that have seen the two of them together interacting with each other that the relationship wasn't just strictly cover. The clincher came at the train station where a female fulcrum agent had Chuck in her clutches pointing a gun at him. It was somewhat a similar situation in Bogota, Columbia and once again he counted on Sarah to take her down.

_When he glanced to his left, he saw her in position "You got it?" Bryce calmly said._

_"Yeah…" she responded back aiming her gun directly at the female fulcrum agent." "…I got it."_

_He remembers standing there with absolute surety that Sarah was going to take her out like in Bogota. He then calls out to her once more time. "Take it."_

_Bryce's confidence in her is suddenly put into question when he doesn't see the female Fulcrum agent go down. His worst fears came to light because Sarah was hesitating because her feelings for Chuck caused her to not risk hitting him. He tries one more time and instead of saying in a calming manner he yells it out. "Take the shot Sarah!" After telling her to do it one more time to shoot, he sees that Sarah still can't do it. He tries once more time. "Take the shot! Take it!"_

Sarah never took the shot. It was Casey who instead pulled the trigger taking down the Fulcrum agent. As he stood there looking at Sarah, it confirmed what Devon told him at the hospital and as disappointed as he was he knew that by her hesitation she could didn't want to risk killing Chuck. She fell in love with him. Bryce shakes his head and quickly glances over to Sarah. _It was hard and it's still hard for me to accept._

XXX

**Inside Casey's Crown Vic - Tuesday 9:15 a.m.**

"Where's does she live Bartowski?" asked Casey.

"Lynwood." he replied. "The same area where Weird Al lives." added the soon-to-be-married man.

"Who?"

"You don't know who Weird Al Yankovic is? You know the guy?" Chuck replied turning his head looking at him.

"If he's a nerd like you then say no more." grunted Casey.

"He's the guy that parodied one of the best songs of all time Smells Like Teen Spirit by the band Nirvana and did a Star Wars parody song to Don McLean's American Pie. " he said with a smile on his face. "Morgan and I ran into him in the mall yesterday. We got to take a picture of him…"

Casey immediately cuts him off. "Bartowski, I don't want to know about how you and Morgan nearly fainted when you saw Strange Al…"

"Weird Al" corrected Chuck.

"Whatever." barked Casey. "Do you know where Chloe's house is Bartowski?"

"Yeah."

"That's all I wanted to know." Casey said.

As the two head off to Chloe's house, Sarah is busy scanning for the other two Dead Man's Hand member while Bryce captures a photo image of the ace of spades. He's searching with a purpose for any sign of a reflection that could be usual. His concentration is suddenly broken when the sound of a cell phone goes off causing him to immediately look down at his, which it isn't so it must be Sarah's.

"Hey sweetie." Sarah notices Bryce looking at her when she answers the phone and immediately gets up to go somewhere more private to have the conversation between the two of them. "You okay." she inquired walking off.

_"If you call escaping from a locked car that exploded without us in it then ya I'm okay." _he responded

Sarah's eyes widen. "Are you hurt?" she asked with great concern.

_"A few scrapes and I may have a shoe print on my ass because of Casey."_

"Why…"

Chuck cuts her off. _"Don't ask."_

"At least you're okay that's all that matters."

_"Don't worry babe. I'm a big boy and I can take care of myself."_

Upon saying that, Sarah can clearly hear a distinct grunt on the other end of the line. She describes it as grunt 8...yeah right. "Let me speak to Casey." she requested.

There is a brief pause on the other end and then Sarah hears the familiar gruff voice of her partner. _"What Walker?"_

"Why does Chuck have a shoe print on his ass." Sarah quickly stated.

_"I'm fine by the way thanks for asking." _grumbled Casey.

"Sorry."

_"Is Larkin behaving himself?" _he asked.

"Nothing I can't handle." she replies. "I think he got the message when I had my gun pressed up against his boys." she amusingly responded.

_"Nice."_

"I learned from the best." Sarah pauses briefly. "You didn't answer my question." she stated.

_"I had to shove your idiot fiancé through a hole in order to get him into the trunk." _he replied. _"It was close but we got out in the nick of time." _he added.

"Keep him safe. I mean it Casey." Sarah hears Casey give another resounding grunt from her partner which knows as number 5...affirmative but no guarantee. "Casey." she firmly stated.

_"Fine."_

"Okay, give the phone back to Chuck."

The blonde agent once again hears a momentary silence on the other end of the line and then hears Chuck's voice again. _"Hey."_

"Where are you guys off to?"

_"Chloe's house in Lynwood." _Chuck answered. _"Apparently Mr. Roboto has something in store for us for there." _he added. _"How about you and Bryce? Is he behaving himself?"_

"Don't worry I got him in check."

_"That's my girl."_

"Guess what." she said with a sly smile on her face.

_"What?"_

"Bryce is jealous of you."

_"Really?"_

"I heard him say it."

_"Wow." _he replied in stunned amazement. _"Bryce Larkin is jealous of me."_

A smile appears on Sarah's face. "Just wanted to let you know."

_"Thanks, I got to see the video of him actually saying the words and save it on a disc for posterity reasons." _he amusingly said.

Sarah gives off a hint of laughter. Anyways, our mysterious Mr. Roboto may be the Ace of Spades. I have Bryce trying to capture of picture in order to put it in the facial recognition system." she says. "Once we got it, I'll send it over to you and see if you can flash on it."

_"Will do."_ responded Chuck.

Sarah he's a pause on the other end and deep sigh from her causing great concern. "Are you okay, talk to me Chuck."

_"I haven't had time to rest and I'm tired."_

"I know…" replied Sarah in comforting way. "…just remember you're doing this for Travis and his family."

_"Speaking of them, did Beckman inform you about that?"_

"No she didn't." she responded shaking her head. "What is it?"

_"NSA cleaners did a thorough sweep of the house after the explosion and found bodies." _he said. Sarah is about to respond when Chuck continues on. _"That's not all. Apparently Mr. Roboto/Ace of Spades has the 3 kids."_

Sarah's eyes go completely wide at what she just heard. "What?"

XXX

**Chloe's House In Lynwood - Tuesday 9:45 a.m.**

Casey and Chuck reach Chloe's house located in Lynwood. Before Chuck called Chloe he called Sarah and told her that Mr. Roboto or the Ace of Spades could very well have the 3 kids. He could clearly hear the disbelief in her voice as she tried to make sense of the situation. Chuck reassured her that he and Casey would do their part in finding them while they do they're part in getting a clear picture of the perp.

After the talk with Sarah he immediately called Chloe but wasn't able to reach her. He ended leaving several messages in her voicemail and because of that it caused him to become a bit worried when she didn't answer leading him to imagine that Mr. Roboto possibly got her already. Looking at her house, it looks small but having enough space for one person to live in.

When Chuck steps out of the car, he feels a bit rejuvenated after talking with Sarah. His concerns about leaving her alone with Bryce were squashed as she informed him that things were under control and that according to her she had him in check. He feels a lot more confident with his chest sticking out knowing that his former roommate at Stanford is actually jealous of him.

It blew his mind when Sarah told him that bit of news. To know that Bryce Larkin of all people who got all the girls both on and off campus, star track athlete at Stanford, former best friend, and renowned super spy envied him. As much as he wanted to do The Carlton Dance right now out in public in the presence of Casey who would probably tranq him if he did, he just let out a hint of a smile on his face.

As he walks along side Casey up the walkway leading to her front door they both look around to see if anything is out of the ordinary. The NSA Agents then glances over at Chuck. "What are you smiling about Bartowski."

"Nothing." he responded still with the smile on his face.

"Then stop or do you want to the last expression on your face to be a smile when you get shot?" he stated.

_Killjoy._ Chuck knew Casey would be on a heightened state of alert and if anything went down he would either grab him heading straight to the front door or back to the vic. Since they were halfway to the front door it would the most logical choice to choose. Just before reaching the front door, Chuck hears Casey contact several agents that are placed around, close to, or near the perimeter.

"Agents in position?" he inquires.

Chuck hears from in his ear piece the sound of 3 agents respond back with an affirmative. He immediately looks around to see where they are located at but does not see them anywhere. They're good he thinks to himself. The two men eventually reach and stand in the front door of Chloe's house. Chuck knocks leading the two men to wait for Chloe to open the door. As they stand there waiting Chuck turns to Casey.

"Casey can I ask you a question?" he asked.

Casey doesn't even look at him as he stares straight at the front door. "What?" he responded expressing annoyed look on his face.

"Would you like to be one of my groomsmen for the wedding?"

Casey immediately turns to Chuck shooting him a question look. "Excuse me?"

"Well…" Chuck pauses to gather his thoughts. "…since Morgan is presiding over the ceremony and Awesome is going to be my best man I thought it would be cool if you stood up there with me.

"Who else did you ask." grunted Casey.

"I was going to ask Travis to be a groomsmen but…"

Casey quirks his right eyebrow up. "Yeah I know." he answered. "Answer me this though, why choose me."

"We're friends right?" Casey just stares at him. "Okay colleagues, how about that?" he added.

"Keep talking."

"I thought since you've been a big part of our lives it would be an honor and there is a reason I asked you."

"To tranq you in case you get cold feet and start running." retorted Casey with a smirk on his face. "I would do it regardless."

"I'm serious man. Listen, if not for me, do it for Sarah. She would very much appreciate it." responded Chuck. "It would mean a lot to her since you do consider her the best partner you have ever had."

There is a brief pause as Chuck waits for Casey's answer as who standing there with his amrs crossed thinking it over. After a while, he gets his answer. "I'll do it…" Chuck smiles and is about to respond when Casey hold us his finger. "…for Sarah."

"Awesome."

Casey shakes his head at what he agreed to and as he does he knocks on the front door but with much more authority. Apparently, it worked because a few seconds later the door opens with Chloe standing in the doorway. From Chuck's point of view she is still shaken up and has been doing a lot of crying by the redness both in her eyes, as well as on her nose.

"You guys came." she stated with a half hearted smile on her face.

Chloe motions for the two to come in and then escorted to the living room where the tv is on showing Travis' house completely burned to the ground. The sight of the house and knowing that the body of his teammate Travis, along with his wife Shannon, were found in the charred rubble was something he couldn't bear to see. Chuck turns around facing away from the tv and sit down on the couch while Casey stands near the kitchen.

"Yeah, what are friends for." he responded. Chuck looks at Chloe and sees how emotional she has been since she established a close relationship with the family, especially with the 3 kids. As she sits down on the couch, Chuck checks on her state of being. "How are you doing?"

"I'm trying to make sense of it all." she said shaking her head in absolute disbelief.

"We all are Chloe." he replied placing his hand on her right shoulder and rubbing. "Its just a senseless act of someone who is a coward. Hey, I tried calling you earlier and all I got was your voicemail."

"Oh…" she replied looking over at her cell phone sitting on the table behind her. She picks it up holding it in her right hand. "…I didn't feel like talking to anybody."

"That's understandable." he responded expressing a half smile towards her.

The moment is suddenly interrupted by the sound of a cell phone ringing. Chuck and Casey know it isn't theirs due to the ring tone. "It's mine." she said holding up her phone. "My family always checking up on me since I moved out. Excuse me for a sec."

"Gotcha and I know the feeling." he replied.

Chuck watches Chloe get up and walks past Casey into the kitchen. As she walks in, Casey walks up heading straight over to Chuck. "Done flirting with her Bartowski?"

"I wasn't flirting with her…" he responded back. "…I was consoling her."

"What would Sarah say about that if she found out."

"About what Casey? There's nothing to find out about." he said.

"Keep telling yourself that." grunted Casey expressing a smirk.

"You know what." said Chuck pointing at him.

The two men begin to have a silent argument with each other. After a few moments it's a abruptly ended when Chloe walks back into the living room causing Chuck and Casey to quickly quiet down Chloe sees the two standing there silently and wonders why.

"Are you guys okay?"

Chuck glances at Casey and then looks back at Chloe who is standing near the living room window. "We're good."

As Chuck says that, the sound of a cell phone rings one again. All three check their phones and come to find its Mr. Roboto's cell phone. Casey shoots a look over to Chuck who nods over at him. Casey excuses himself and walks to the kitchen in order to talk with the murder and now add kidnapper to the list of charges. After a brief moment, he answers it.

"Yeah."

_"I see you and Mr. Bartowski made it out alive and well. I can't say the same for the 3 agents though. Damn shame."_

Casey immediately lowers his phone and tries contacting the 3 agents but there is no response.

"You listen to me." he emphatically stated. "If you hurt those kids…"

_"No!" _the digitized voice responded._ "As long as I have the kids you have to do what I say and what I have to say is duck!"_

Casey's eyes widen as the other end of the line clicks off. He quickly turns around heading straight for the living room yelling at Chuck and Chloe in the room. "Get Down!" Its too late however as a barrage of gunfire rips through the living room of the house. After what seems like an unending barrage of gunfire it stops and then complete silence is heard within the hazy aftermath of the bullet ridden house.

XXX

**_NOTE: HOPE YOU ENJOYED READING THIS CHAPTER. PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK!_**


	9. 9 Lives

**Chloe's House In Lynwood - Tuesday 9:50 a.m.**

There is an eerie silence emanating within the smoky haze that fills the main living room of Chloe's house. Glass and pieces of furniture are all mixed together in one chaotic mess not only all over the floor, but also embedded in and among the furniture. The barrage of bullets unloaded into the house sent a clear and serious message to those in the house, namely Chuck and Casey, that the person responsible is not playing around.

The eerie silence that blankets the confines of the house is suddenly replaced by the sound of a faint cough that increasingly grows into a resounding growl. The growl inevitably turns into a clearly and very familiar grunt from one Colonel John Casey. He narrowly escaped once again from another intense, hair raising situation that previously ensued when Mr. Roboto/Ace of Spades made the attempt to end their lives.

Casey slowly regains consciousness opening his eyes and is considerably disoriented after he dived across the kitchen table landing hard on the floor on the back of his head. He's face down and then slowly reaches up with his left hand in order to feel the back of his head to check to see if he's bleeding, which he isn't. What he feels, however, is a knot on the back it but that's a small price to pay to escape from being turned into Swiss cheese.

He shakes the cobwebs out of his head after hitting the back of it on the kitchen floor. Casey partially lifts his head and around the kitchen area to see scattered, as well as broken chairs around the kitchen area. In all the chaos he must have thrown the chairs in order to get under the table because one of them ended up embedded through the kitchen window.

From what he can remember, before the hail of gunfire started he turned around after the phone call with Mr. Roboto/Ace of Spades heading straight for Chloe and Chuck. He didn't make out in time as the barrage of bullets started flying into the living. Casey remembers quickly ducking back into the kitchen and just before he did he saw Chuck grab Chloe away from the window.

After that everything sort of was a blurr afterwards. He slowly rolls himself over wincing in pain onto his back and as he looks up he sees the bottom of the table. He reaches back underneath him and retrieves his gun with his right hand and then places it on his chest. He lifts his head looking at his gun and with his left hand reaches over to pull back the handle. _Get up soldier!_

He slowly pushes himself out from the underneath the table and then reaches up with his left hand in order to pull himself up in a sitting position. He leans to his left against the entrance of the kitchen and then does a quick assessment of any additional injuries suffered, which he finds none. Casey then spots the cell phone he dropped while taking cover and picks it up.

The anger he feels as he looks at the phone in his hand and its association to Mr. Roboto/Ace of Spade cause him to want to throw the phone against the kitchen wall. Yet, he retrains himself from doing so because it's a point of contact for both he and Chuck. He sticks it in his right front pocket and then leans forward peering out into the living aiming his weapon out into the living room at the same time.

He position himself for a few seconds just in case there is a possibility of a second round of gunfire or Mr. Roboto's cronies storm in to finish the job. After nothing happens, he lowers his gun to the floor and sees the devastation left behind from the unknown number of gunmen who from the looks of things clearly unloading all their ammo doing major damage as beams of light poke through highlighting the smoky haze within the room.

Casey coughs several times waving his left hand in front of his face to get a better and clearer view of what's in front of him. His vision is a bit blurry causing him to shake his head and then turns his attention back to the living room. He immediately scans the room for any sign of Chloe and Chuck who hopefully took cover in a safe place. _You better be alive Bartowski or I'll kill you myself._

He continues scanning around the living room when he hears the faint and muffled sound coming from somewhere in the semi-lit room. The veteran government agent pinpoints the faint and muffled sound coming from the area of an overturned couch in the left side of the room. "Chuck!" gruffly hollered out Casey.

The burly NSA agent pressed his left shoulder against the wall near the kitchen entrance planting his right leg firmly on the floor and pushes himself up. It a slow go at first eventually stands up with the help of the kitchen table as support. He heads out and stumbles over heading to the left side of the room through the smoky haze straights towards the overturned couch.

"Bartowski!" he hollered out once again.

This time the response he hears is somewhat coherent. Casey drops to one knee, places his gun down on the floor, puts his hands under the top end of the couch, and with as much strength as he can muster lifts the couch revealing the Chuck on top of Chloe in a seemingly precarious position. From the looks of things, Chuck must have grabbed Chloe headed straight to the nearest couch, overturned it, and then places his body over hers in order to protect her.

The weight of the couch must have led to him hitting his forehead on the floor and when it came to Chloe she probably hit the back of her head on the floor causing her to be knocked out as well. Casey calls out to him once again. "Chuck!"

"Two more minutes Ellie" responded Chuck incoherently.

As Casey kneels there he has two options which are he can snap a photo on his cell phone of Chuck in a very precarious with Chloe and then send it to Sarah or he can slap him upside his head in order to wake him up. As much as he wanted to take a photo, send the photo to Sarah, and then let fun ensue afterwards he decides to do the latter. Casey rears back and slaps Chuck in the back of the head as hard as he can. "Wake up numbnuts!"

Chuck reacts to the slap of the head and grabs the back it wincing in pain. He slowly opens his eyes to see Casey bending down looking straight at him. "Casey?"

"Get up moron…" he said. "…or do you want to explain this to Sarah."

"Explain what?" Chuck breathed out.

Casey reaches over grabs Chuck on the top of his head, pulls it back inevitably turning it to show him not only Chloe's face but that he's on top of her as well. Chuck's eyes go complete wide. "Oh boy."

XXX

**Outside Chloe's House In Lynwood - Tuesday 10:00 a.m.**

The scene outside Chloe's residence is of controlled chaos as on concerned and curious on lookers stood behind a barricade wondering what is going cars, a fire truck, and an ambulance are situated in front of the house who, by the way, are mostly NSA cleaners. To say they have been pretty busy as of late is an understatement dealing with a burning house at Brentwood, a burning car at Mulholland Drive, and now a bullet ridden house.

The media jumped on the story like a bunch of hungry vultures but Casey ordered the agents dressed as cops to keep them back. As usual they were given a drummed up cover story in order throw them off the real situation at hand. It wasn't only the media and the general public who were standing around wanting to know what happened that were given that cover story, but Chloe as well who is sitting on the edge of the ambulance away from cameras and on lookers.

"A gang did this?" Chloe said in disbelief holding an ice pack behind her head.

"That's what the officer told us." replied Casey. "Apparently, it was some type of gang initiation and we were the unfortunate victims in all this.

It was the only logical cover story he could come up with on such short notice and being that they were after all in Los Angeles it would be believable. He thought of using a disgruntled mail man goes on a rampage targeting the first house after snapping but decided against it. Over the past 3 and half years, Casey thought up many believable and somewhat plausible cover stories in order to "fix" a situation that Team Chuck was involved in.

Yet, what he couldn't fix on this particular day were the 3 agents lost due to cold hearted actions of a madman. A madman who could kill two grown adults without any hesitation but is not willing to kill 3 children in order to prove a point. Those 3 agents died honorably for the greater good as they did their job to the letter on the field. His thoughts turns from the 3 agents to Chuck standing to his right.

Casey glances over at Chuck who is not saying a word but just shaking his head agreeing to the cover story. From his point of view, he looked like one of those bobble head dolls going back and forth after being tapped. Idiot he thinks to himself. As much as he wanted to reach over and slap him in the back of the head he didn't want to do it in front of Chloe instead he just mentally does it over in his head.

He had to hand it to him though. Chuck did some quick thinking in order to save a civilian form a barrage of bullets and he would have never thought of overturning the couch in or protect the two of them. He would have grabbed the girl and immediately headed for the hallway for safety, threw her into either the bathroom or a closet, and then returned fire.

"Glad you guys came when you did." stated Chloe. She turns her attention over to Chuck. "If it wasn't for you I wouldn't be alive. I owe you my life." she added with a smile on her face.

"Ah…" replied Chuck waving his hand. "…it was nothing really."

"I beg to differ. You risked your life to save me and that wins major points in my book." she responded reaching out to his right forearm. "If you weren't engaged to Sarah I would snatch you up in a minute."

From where Casey is standing, he can actually see Chuck enjoying the attention he's getting from Chloe. You don't have to be a trained spy to sees the flirtatious banter she's clearly sending loud and clear over to him he thinks to himself. A hint of smirk appears on his face at the thought of Sarah suddenly walking up behind him and making it an awkward situation for him.

Casey decides to intervene mainly because he's annoyed by the banter going on between the two of them. "I hate to interrupt but we have to go Chuck."

"So soon?"

"Yeah, the officer already took our statements and besides…" Casey reaches over and slaps Chuck hard behind the shoulder causing him to wince in pain. "…we got to go get fitted for our tuxes."

"We are?" Casey shoots a glaring looking over at Chuck. "Yes, yes we are since I am the groom and Casey is one of my groomsmen." he said. "Are you going to be okay?"

Chloe puts the ice bag down and stands up facing Chuck. "Yeah, I'll probably go to my parents house and hang out there for a while. Thanks for everything." she replied leaning forward to hug Chuck.

"No problem." he said hugging her back. "I'll call you later to check up on you."

"You better." answered Chloe shooting a smile at him.

Casey rolls his eyes and grabs Chuck by his right arms as he heads towards the crown vic. "Let's go lover boy, we got somewhere to be."

As the two are walking back to the crown vic, Chuck turns to Casey. "She's a great girl."

"She wants you."

Chuck shakes his head. "For the last time, we're just friends and no she doesn't."

"Walker has obviously done a number on you." grunted Casey. "The girl was blatantly flirting with you Bartowski."

"She was?" he said with a smile on his face. "Huh, I guess it was the ole' Bartowski charm working but don't worry I only have eyes for Sarah." he added.

"Great, I can sleep better knowing that." he sarcastically retorted opening the driver's side door of the vic.

'Where are we headed to?" he asked looking across at Casey from the other side of the car.

"Back to Castle, we got to regroup."

"Can we stop off to get something to eat first. I'm hungry and I know you are too big guy." he said. Casey pauses for a moment mulling over Chuck's requests. He is about to deny it when he hears two words that change his mind. "I'm paying." Chuck hears him sound off grunt 10...let's eat. The two men get in the crown vic and drive off to get something to eat before returning to Castle.

XXX

**Castle - Tuesday 10:15 a.m.**

Bryce continues to sit at the computers scanning the individual windows on the screen and by the look on his face he's not making any headway. Unlike Sarah he doesn't believe they are going to be able to get a glimpse of the perps face because he/she was careful in not letting his/her identity be seen. He's let's out a sigh of frustration and bangs slams his hands on the keyboard.

"Careful…" Sarah stated walking up to her computer. "…you break it you replace it."

Bryce places both hands on the top of his head, leans back, and turns his chair to face her. "I'm good for it."

Sarah pauses for a moment looking at him. "Tell me Bryce, why are you doing this?"

Bryce leans forward elbows on his knees and both hands intertwined over his mouth. He then places it under his chin supporting his head up to look straight at her. "It's hard for me to accept that you're happy."

The blonde agent quirks her right eyebrow up at what he just said. "So what, I'm supposed to be miserable?"

"Yes." responded Bryce quickly leaning back in his chair. Bryce sees Sarah shoot him a look that he knows was the wrong thing to say. "I didn't mean that."

"What did you mean then?"

_Choose your words carefully Bryce because what you say will either get you slapped in the face or cause you to sing soprano._ Sarah watches as Bryce is actually trying to search for the right words to respond to her with. As he's sitting there, she notices something about Bryce that she hasn't seen before. It's a look of uncertainly as if he's been obsessing about it and hasn't been the same since.

To Sarah, the notion that an arrogant, egotistical can have any woman in the world by using his charm spy such as Bryce is obsessed about why Chuck could make her happy instead of him. It tells her how even though he has years of extensive training to understand a mark, he doesn't have the proper training to understand a woman such as herself. In a way, she feels sorry for him in his sad and desperate attempts to win her over only to be shut down twice well three times if she counts the initial stare he gave when he looked up at her.

"I'm just saying, that its difficult for me to see you happy with Chuck because it should have been me."

"I was different…" Sarah's notices Bryce's eyebrows perks up. "…our relationship was different to say the least."

"I don't understand."

"My life sincing joining the C.I.A. was about the job and the only way I could disconnect myself from it was being with you." she replied shaking her head. "After spending time with Chuck, I started to slowly realize that there is more to life than the job and Chuck made see it in little ways."

"How?"

Sarah walks over to the conference table and sits at the edge with her arms crossed. "What is my least favorite pizza topping Bryce?"

A questionable look appears on his face. "Why does that matter?"

"It matters to me." she quickly retorted. "Do you even know that I hate olives on my pizza or the fact I like extra pickles on my burger?" she added. "Here's a better question, what are my favorite flowers?"

Bryce thinks over the questions and then snaps his finger. "Roses…you always enjoyed it when I gave you roses."

"Bryce, any woman would love to be given flowers especially roses from a guy, but it doesn't mean those are her favorite." she firmly stated eyeing her former partner.

"What is your favorite."

"Gardenias, they are my favorite. Remember when you sent me all those flowers to my room when I got injured at Von Hayes' birthday party?" Bryce nods. "It must have cost you a pretty penny."

"Charged it on the C.I.A.'s tab." he said with a smirk.

Sarah shoots a look over at Bryce that causes his smirk to quickly fall flat. "Chuck actually took the time to get to know me even though he really didn't know me. When he walked in to my room holding gardenias in his hand I was deeply touched." she said with a smile on her thinking back to that moment.

"Chuck has a certain nerdy charm about him doesn't he."

"What can I say, it worked on me in its own subtle little way even if he didn't know it." she said. "You will never know much he means to me and what we've been through together." she addsed

Bryce mulls over what she said and then looks up at her. "Be honest with me, did you ever see a future between the two of us?" questioned Bryce.

Sarah pauses for a moment and the answers him. "I thought I did but no..." she replied shaking her head. "…Chuck is my future."

XXX

**Inside A Subway On Marengo Street - Tuesday 10:40**

Chuck and Casey stop off at a local Subway shop in order to get something to eat. The two men haven't really eaten anything ever since early this morning, which was evident by the seemingly loud grumble in their stomachs as they drove in the car. They worked up a huge appetite practically going all around Los Angeles solving clues and nearly getting themselves killed.

When it came to ordering Casey got The Feast with a Mountain Dew while Chuck got the Chicken and Bacon Ranch with a Coke. When they received their orders they immediately saw an open spot to sit in. The two men move forward inevitably sitting at a table near the window and begin tearing into their sandwiches. The only sounds they're making are of pure contentment as they get food into their system.

"Hit the spot." grunted Casey with his sandwich in both hands.

Chuck nods as he gulps down a piece of his sandwich. "Told ya…" Chuck takwa a sip of his drink. "…now we concentrate better." The duo finish their sandwiches and just there for a moment leaning back against their checks digesting their food. Chuck looks out the window and begins thinking out loud. "I can't imagine what those 3 kids are feeling right now."

Casey leans forward looking at Chuck. "You can't let your emotions distract you or it will cost them their lives." he stated.

"I can't help it man." he replied facing Casey causing a bit of a scene. Chuck looks around and then leans forward lower his voice in order to talk to Casey. "That rat bastard killed my friend…" he emphatically pointed at Casey. "…your teammate. The only emotion you've shown thus far is anger for those kids. What about Travis and Shannon?"

An intense glare is shot towards Chuck. "You listen up, when you're in the business that you, me, Walker, and Larkin are in you do the job knowing full well you'll lose fellow agents/soldiers." he stated. "Travis was a good and honorable man who I considered a friend and I will miss him. His death will not be in vain I promise you that."

Wow Chuck thought to himself Casey said out loud Travis is his friend. He never would have thought in a million years to admit it. Being part of Team Chuck has progressively changed him from one scary dude whose only life goal was to leave a path of destruction behind to a guy who quite frankly is still that same person but now not that scary…much.

"How do you do it day in and day out?"

"It's hard…" Casey answered. "…but you push through it the best you can."

"How do you cope?"

"Drinking helps." Casey looks at the window shaking his head. "I've lost soldiers/agents under my command in the field of battle and I was taught that when the battle was over then you can mourn for those who have died." added Casey. "The battle isn't over yet Barttowski so its not time to mourn so keep that in mind."

Chuck nods. There is a brief pause between the two of them. "We bonded just now didn't we."

"Casey takes out the straw from his drink. "Don't make me kill you by sticking this straw up your nose Bartowski because you know I can."

The curly haired business owner simply smirks and shakes his head. "Thanks Casey."

He responds by giving grunt 14...don't mention it. The two men get up, throw their trash away, and then head out the door. They are both walking across the parking lot and as soon as they reach the crown vic, the sound of a cell phone rings and from the ring tone its Mr. Roboto's. Casey takes it out of his pocket and answers it but doesn't speak. He instead places it on top of the roof of the vic and then presses the speaker phone in order for the both of them to listen.

"What is it?" grumbles Casey.

_"Still alive and well I see."_

"We're like cats. We not only land on our feet but we have 9 lives." responded Chuck.

_"Funny Chuck." _the digitized voice stated. _"From my count, you both have used up 2 of those 9 lives."_

"Listen, how do we know you actually have the kids?" inquired Casey. "We want proof."

There is a moment of silence on the other end of the line. Casey and Chuck look at each other with absolute concern anticipating what is going to happen next. Chuck is feeling so many emotions at this point but quickly keeps them in check after what Casey told him. He looks over at Casey who is growing impatient and is about to speak into the phone when the two of them suddenly hear the sound of a little girl's voice.

_"Uncle Chuck its me Leah."_

Chuck's eyes go complete wide causing him to lean down speaking into the phone. "Hey darlin' how are you doing?"

_"I'm scared." _Casey and Chuck can hear the fear and sadness in her voice. It nearly brings Chuck to tears but he restrains himself from doing so. _"Do you know where mommy and daddy are. I miss them."_

"I know pumpkin I know. I just need you to watch over your younger sister and baby brother okay. Uncle Casey and I will come and get you."

_"Okay."_

Chuck and Casey can hear the sound of shuffling on the other end of the line. _"You have you're proof gentlemen."_

Casey picks up the phone. "I swear if one hair on their heads is…"

_"They will not be harmed I assure you unless you do what I say do I make myself clear." _Mr. Roboto emphatically stated.

"Yeah." Chuck responded.

_"Excellent. Just to let you know, everything you've endured up to this point was just a simple warm up. Now, its time to see what you two are truly made of."_

XXX

_**NOTE: ITS GETTING INTENSE. HOPE YOU ENJOYED READING THIS CHAPTER. AS USUAL PLEASE A COMMENT.**_


	10. The Truth Hurts

**Parking Lot of Subway On Marengo Street - Tuesday 10:42 a.m.**

The sound of Travis' oldest daughter Leah's voice on the phone caused every part of Chuck and Casey's body to tense up even more. For Casey, the verbal confirmation that Mr. Roboto has the kids made the situation they were in all the more important to accomplish. It made him realize that going all around Los Angeles playing the perp's stupid games and solving the clues weren't just a waste a time in his mind.

As much as he was seething inside about Travis' kids being used as a way for the two of them to keep playing the game, he knew that that he had to keep his anger in check for their sake. He needed to lead by example and if he wasn't focused to where he flew off the handle then he failed not only Chuck, but the Travis' kids as well who are depending on them to come to their rescue.

For the time being he and Chuck will have to play by his rules but as they do he's thinking of a way to have him play by their rules, which is easier said than done. He has one idea running through his mind but it would only be a last resort if it were to be implemented. It would be a huge gamble and yet Team Chuck is known for taking huge gambles, which tend to pay off in the end.

Chuck, on the other hand, found it difficult for him to keep his emotions in check while talking with her as he came close to shedding tears. As he talked with her promising her he and Casey will come get them, he heard how not only scared she truly is, but wanting her parents there to comfort her along with her younger sister and baby brother knowing they have both killed in cold blood by a lunatic.

To lose one parent at such a young age is hard enough, but to lose two parents is absolutely unimaginable. In addition to that, the circumstances concerning their death would be harder to explain to a child wanting their parents by her side knowing full well they can't be there leaving Chuck to have the tough task in breaking the news to her if they are able to get through this alive.

His heart sinks at that thought and feels for Leah as she will have to be strong for her siblings until he and Casey locate them. Stay focused he keeps thinking to himself. However, Chuck couldn't help but think about the responsibility that now rests on Leah's young shoulders in taking care of her younger siblings parallels that of Ellie when she took on the responsibility of taking care of him and their mom.

He remembers Ellie making important adult decisions that forced her to grow up real quick. Even though his father told him that he was now man of the house before he left in order to protect them, it was his sister who took charge. There were times where the two Bartowski kids butted heads because of certain decisions being made and as much as he disliked them, he knew she was just looking out for him.

There were certainly moments where they bickered like a brother and sister do but they never stayed angry at each other for long. It didn't matter who started it because the two of them knew they needed each other to not just watch each other's back, but be there for each other no matter what. It didn't matter if either of them were on different time zones or on the other side of the world one of them would be at the other's side.

It certainly put a lot of pressure on her to be strong when certain situation she experienced tested her mentally, physically, and most all emotionally. True, some of those experiences were caused by Morgan but he would take care of his best friend when she had that look in her eyes as if she was going to kill him. In any case, there were plenty of nights when he woke up in the middle of the night and heard crying coming from her bedroom.

As a concerned younger brother, he would knock on her door and see how she was doing. She would be grateful for checking up on her to the point where she would either tell her she was okay and go back to bed or they would both go into the living room and just talk. It would be strong relationship between the two of them leading to a tighter bond that would continue to hold when their mother passed away.

Chuck never took for granted how much Ellie sacrificed in order to provide for the family even before their mother got sick. While most teenagers her age would be hanging out with friends at the mall or talking with them on the phone for countless hours Ellie spent it either at home taking care of things like the cooking, cleaning the house, or using the paycheck she received from work to help pay the bills.

It got tougher when their mother died but they survived and with the appearance of Awesome who became a constant presence at the Bartowski household Ellie was able to have much of the pressure lifted off her shoulders. As time passed on she became a medical intern and eventually transitioned to becoming an excellent doctor. The now older Bartowski is suddenly snapped out of his thoughts by Casey's gruff voice.

"Just get on with it and give us the next damn clue." grunted Casey.

_"Straight and to the point._" the digitized voice stated. "_Well then, let's not waste any more time shall we. Go to a building that holds countless knowledge that towers above the rest. Remember its fundamental but in order to reach the top level you must first step into a place that has its up and downs._

"What's the time limit?" Chuck inquired

"Since I gave you two ample time to get to your last location I say 12pm. May I suggest taking I-105 W and then CA-1N because at this time of day traffic's a killer."

"And so are you." responded the annoyed NSA agent.

_"Touché. You better get a move on gentlemen time is something you don't want to waste."_ the digitized voice replied.

The other end of the line clicks off leaving both men standing there for just a moment. Casey immediately shoots at look at Chuck who knows what he's thinking as he rushes over to the passenger side door to jump in. The NSA agents grabs the phone off the roof, places it in his pocket, and jumps into his car in one fell swoops as they are about to solve the next clue in this twisted game of scavenger hunt.

XXX

**Castle - Tuesday 10:50 a.m.**

"Wow. That hurts coming from you Sarah." responded Bryce.

"The truth usually does Bryce." she firmly stated.

_The truth._ Bryce shakes his head at that particular word. He has spent so much time in the maze of lies and deception that he ultimately got himself lost to the point where the deeper he went the harder it would be to find his way out. Its been a long time since he's actually heard or has been told the truth since becoming a spy because quite frankly in the business he's in the truth is something other than what it actually is.

When it comes to the truth that is the relationship between Chuck and Sarah he didn't want to accept it. Sarah was and has always been the concement professional never letting her feelings or emotions compromise the mission. When he sent the intersect to Chuck, he knew Sarah would be there to protect him and that she did never knowing she would slowly compromise herself being his cover girlfriend.

In his own conceited mindset, he figured Sarah was merely compensating her feelings for him on to Chuck because after all they have a history. A history filled with danger, excitement, and adventure at every turn. It's a life that any female government agent would be thrilled to experience along side a partner who lives to experience the same thing over and over again.

Bryce thought she always wanted to live that life because it gave her the opportunity to not deal with her old life. To be someone other than who you really are gives you a way to escape from the reality of how truly harsh people in this world truly are. Once the mission is over you strip your cover identity among other things and after some down time you're given not only you're next mission, but next cover identity.

All throughout his spy life, Bryce considered himself the better man and could do anything he wanted to without consequence. Even before he supposedly went rogue he had a way of getting back in Sarah's good graces and explain himself to where she forgave him. He always knew what buttons to push but unfortunately the one button he could never push was located in her heart but Chuck could and that is why its hard for him to accept.

"I guess I deserve that."

"Yeah, you did." she stated expressing a small hint of smile.

"So what was your plan?" Sarah asked. "Try to convince me to go with you and leave the life I share Chuck behind?"

"Pretty much." he said with a smirk on his face.

"I hate to break it to you but that isn't going to happen." she emphatically stated.

_It's never ever going to happen._ The bond she and Chuck share is absolutely strong and each of them have been in situations where both have seen the other at their worst. She remembers standing by Chuck's beside when he suddenly blacked out at Buy More. The look of horror on her face when she saw him collapse on the floor caused by what she now knows was a virus that William Jax set up.

She was there for him since the very beginning encouraging him to be the man he was meant to be. He just need to have him see it because he couldn't see it in himself. From time he went back to Stanford in order to bring closure to his past to a bad memory to his old flame Jill stepping back into his life after 5 years revealing to him that they share a son named Charlie, which wasn't the case after a blood test done by Casey.

Sarah would continue to be there for him no matter what like he has been there for her in every way. Such was the case when she her sister Cassidy came into town and the meeting between the two of them was bittersweet to say the least. If it wasn't for Chuck walking into Weinerlicious, she would have never been able to reconcile with not just her sister, but with her father as well. Her thoughts of Chuck abruptly end by the sound of Bryce's voice.

Bryce leans forward tilting his head a bit to the right. "Tell me you don't miss it." Bryce inquired looking straight at her. "The danger, excitement, and the all out adrenaline rush of going on a mission in a foreign location with me." he added.

"I'm not going to lie I do miss it but…"

"But what?" he inquired with vapid curiosity.

"Don't get me wrong I still live for the danger, excitement, and the adrenaline rush of a mission…" she responded with a hint of a smile on her face. "…but I now do it with someone I love."

"Way to rub it in."

"I'm just telling the truth."

"Well, the truth hurts especially coming from you."

Sarah quirks her right eyebrow up at what he said causing her to ask the one question she always wanted to know. "Since I told you the truth tell me Bryce…" Sarah pauses for a moment looking directly at Bryce. "…did you ever actually love me?"

XXX

**Castle - Tuesday 10:53 a.m.**

"Did I actually love you?" Bryce repeated out loud.

_Is this a trick question?_ So many thoughts were running through his mind at that point as sits there trying to figure out what to say. On one hand he could avoid the question entirely and go back to trying to find a clear image of the ace of spades, which would help him avoid a possible beat down or take the chance in answering the question knowing it might never have the right answer.

However, knowing Sarah she is like a pit-bull and will latch on to the question until it is answered. It became an attractive quality when they were partners and they had to interrogate a mark who wasn't very cooperative. Unfortunately, he is now in the position where's he's being grilled and he not only feels himself squirming in his seat, but can't quite look her directly in the eye at the moment.

What happens if I say no he thinks to himself? He's already had his right hand twisted back and nearly come close to having his manhood shot off, which was a very uncomfortable feeling. Bryce wonders if she is thoroughly enjoying this form of inhuman torture. He was getting lost in thought when he's snapped back to reality by the sound of a clearing throat.

"Its not that hard to answer Bryce." she said expressing annoyance in her voice. "A simple yes or no would suffice."

Bryce take a quick breath and then looks up at her. "Its complicated."

"That's not going to fly with me Bryce." she answered. Bryce watches as Sarah stands up and walks up hovering over him with her arms crossed. "Just answer the question."

"Are you going to shoot me?" he responded crossing his legs.

"It depends."

"Depends on what?"

"It depends if you're honest with me and tell the truth." Sarah says reaching back pulling a chair from the conference table over and sits down.

_Is she lulling me into a false sense of security?_ As he sees her sitting in front of him, he can't help but wonder if this what Chuck has to deal with every single day then if so God help him. What does Sarah want from him he thinks to himself. The trained super spy who is able to always stay focused under pressure couldn't for the life of him keep his cool because of woman asking if he loved her.

Bryce can feel his pulse race, heart beating faster, palms becoming sweaty, and beads of sweat forming on his forehead. He's had this feeling before but its usually in the middle of a successful mission. However, never in his life has been in this type of situation where he's basically backed into a corner and has no exit strategy to speak of. If this what marriage is like then this is not for me he thinks to himself.

"Okay…"Bryce responded gripping the side handles of the char. "…no I didn't love you."

Sarah suddenly reaches over causing Bryce to flinch. In that moment, he imagined Sarah reaching over and breaking his neck but that wasn't the case. Instead he feels the soft hand on his left shoulder and when he turns to face her he sees a smile on her face. "I'm glad you're honest with me." Sarah replies. "It was big of you to admit that and I very much appreciate it."

"I'm glad you're taking this so well.

"Now can you tell me why you're jealous of Chuck and don't say its just because he got the greatest girl?" she stated. "There's more too it than that."

"Your right." replied the suave government agent. "My life has been about the job and I do a damn good job at it without any emotional attachments holding back. Sarah listens intently as Bryce continues on. "When I see how happy you are with Chuck it made me envious of him and everything he has been able to accomplish thus far. Whenever he looks into the mirror he sees a man who knows who he is now." Bryce shakes his head. "I have nothing except what I'm good at. I see in myself a man who has become jaded because of being a spy for so long. Every time I look in the mirror I sometimes have no idea who is staring back at me. Chuck didn't deserve that life back then but I had to find a way to keep him out of the C.I.A. no matter what the repercussions are."

"Well, as you can plainly see he's become a spy regardless with an excellent team to back him up. We've been there for him as he's been there for us."

"He's a lucky guy." Bryce shakes his head. "You know, I never really thought about what I did to Chuck because in my mind I set out to help him from being recruited in the C.I.A. When Chuck's best friend the one with the beard called me a douche for ruining the life of the most nicest guy in the world it hit me." Bryce says shaking his head. "That right there told me he has friends and his sister Ellie who not only care and are concerned about him but would defend him at the drop of a hat. "

"He gives so much of himself and expects nothing in return. He tends to see the good in people even in you Bryce.

A look of regret appears on Bryce's face upon hearing that. "Do you know the most difficult thing for me was?"

"What?" she wondered expressing a sense of curiosity.

"I had look to him straight in the eyes when he walked down the stairs of our frat house without a care in the world and as much as I wanted to say I'm sorry I had to lie to the only friend I had in the world. I knew I was looking out for his best interests and deep down he would be grateful for what I did even though he would be mad at me. He is…"he pauses. "…always has been a better man than me."

"Did you tell him that?"

"No." he replied shaking his head.

"Maybe you should."

Bryce hesitantly nods. "So, you're not going to shoot me?"

"No…" the blonde goddess responded shaking her head." "…I'm not going to shoot you." added Sarah standing up.

A smile appears on Bryce face as she looks up to see a smile on her face. It was a lot easier than I imagined it be he thinks to himself. His thoughts are suddenly ended when he gets knocked out of his seat onto the ground below after Sarah does a swinging round house kick to the side of his face. He shakes his head feeling the side of his face and look up at Sarah.

"What was that for?" responded Bryce holding his left cheek.

"I said I wasn't going to shoot you for what you said earlier between you and me." she stated looking down at him. "I never said anything about kicking you in the face." Sarah said walking back to her computer.

"Does that mean we're good?" he asked getting up holding and stretching his jaw.

"Find me a clear image that we can work with and I'll say yes." she firmly stated.

A hint of smirk appears on his face as he massages the left side of his face. He grabs the chair he's sitting in and plops himself back into it. After taking a quick glance over to Sarah, who is sitting at her own computer with her gun just a few inches away from her, he returns to scanning the individual screens for any sign of a clear image he can work with in order to find out the identity of the Ace of Clubs.

XXX

**Inside Casey's Crown Vic - Tuesday 11:20 a.m.**

Casey and Chuck are in the crown vice heading down 1-105 W. They are rushing to get to the next location but what is hampering them is the L.A. Traffic. Casey is growing impatient and begins honking his horn to express his frustration. Chuck attempts to distract his road rage and possible avoid a demolition derby by going over the clue that Mr. Roboto gave them.

"Go to a building that holds countless knowledge that towers above the rest. Remember its fundamental but in order to reach the top level you must first step into a place that has its up and downs." Chuck says out loud.

"Get cracking on the solving the clue Bartowski."

"Okay, first off what type of building holds countless knowledge?"

"The C.I.A. and NSA come to mind."

"What about the F.B.I.?" added Chuck glancing over at Casey.

Casey immediately shakes his head at that particular thought. "That building holds countless idiots than knowledge."

Chuck gives Casey a side glance at what he said. "Maybe its not an agency building but rather a building that holds a different type of knowledge."

"Like what a library?" responded Casey.

"Yes…" he retorted snapping his finger. "…a library. Now that we know the what we just have to know the where leading us to the towering above the rest part of the clue."

"The tallest building in Los Angeles is the First Interstate World Center."

"Yeah and its also known as the Library Tower but no actual library books are in there. It's a bank."

"What else can you tell me if I shake that magic 8 ball of a head of yours?"

"Well, during the NBA playoffs the colors purple and gold are shown for the Lakers and blue and white on opening day for the Dodgers when they are in the playoffs as well.

"I mean about the other half of the clue moron."

"Oh right. Well, I guess Mr. Roboto wants us to go to the top floor and then we'll probably get another phone call like last time. In order to do that we have to take the elevator, which is place that has its up and downs."

"I'll call ahead and have one of their security guards on standby to escort us up there."

"Should we have the building cleared?"

"Only if it's a real cause for danger Bartowski. We don't want to scare anybody and cause mass hysteria within the building because of a possible bomb threat to where the media is alerted. The last thing we want is to have the public informed of a madman on some kind of vengeful vendetta."

Chuck nods as the two of them continue to sit in traffic, which is moving considerably slow. Its at that point, Casey decides to take a different route and heads out the first exit he comes to without warning Chuck first. Chuck holds on as Casey floors it as they head towards the Library Tower and as they do he takes out his cell phone in order to contact the head of security of the bank.

XXX

**Library Tower - 11:45 a.m.**

Casey and Chuck arrive at the Library Tower. As they both get out of the vic, they are immediately greeted by the Library Tower's head of security. "Agent Casey." he said.

"Head of Security Vance Warren."

"As the two men shake hands, Chuck can see that the head of security for the Library Towers is a considerably large man. He can quite possibly pick him up with his pinky and throw him across a room or a football field. As he escorts the two men into the building, Chuck can't help but take in the massive structure of the building as he looks up at how tall it is. He snaps out of it when he accidentally bumps into Casey who shoots a look towards him.

Casey turns his attention back to Warren. "Does anyone else know?"

"Other than my own security team no sir." Warren responded shaking his head.

"Let's keep it that way."

All 3 men head into the building, clearing security checkpoints, and towards an elevator where two of Warren's men are stationed. They wait for a few seconds and then elevator doors open leading the trio step in. Warren pushes the button for the top floor and before the doors close he nods at his two men. After several moments they are about to reach the top floor of the tower when the elevator suddenly stops between 72nd and 73rd floor.

"Great…" Warren said shaking his head. "…we just had these elevators fixed."

Casey becomes instantly weary upon hearing causing him to question Warren as he heads over to the panel where the phone is located at. "When?"

"Over the weekend. Some of the employees were complaining about problems with the elevator not working right so we called to have all of them checked out."

As Warren is on the phone a confused look washes over his face causing Casey to exude a look seriousness to where Chuck senses something big is up. He tightly grips the side of the elevator as Warren tries to get someone on the other end of the phone. He finally hears someone speak but the person is not on the other end of the phone. All 3 of them hear the digitized voice of Mr. Roboto within the elevator.

_"I see you two made it and with a guest no less."_ the digitized voice said over the speaker._ "Vance Warren, Head of Security for The Library Towers how do you do?"_

Warren doesn't get a chance to respond as Casey speaks up. "I take it you had a hand in this?"

A hint of laughter is heard from all three men. Casey immediately goes for his cell phone with Warren talking straight into a communications device in clutched in his hand and Chuck still gripping the side of the elevator.

_"I think you'll come to find it difficult to contact anyone."_

"So…" Chuck nervously asked. "…I guess you want us to try to escape again."

_"If you can but know this you have exactly until 12 pm before the elevator you're in plummets 72 floors down with you 3 in it. I took the liberty of having the escape hatch welded shut making it clearly impossible for another escape. If you make it out alive then you get your next clue and if not well…its been nice playing the game with you. Goodbye gentlemen."_

There is absolute silence in the elevator as all 3 men look at each other. After a few seconds Chuck looks at his watch and then lets at the two men standing in front of him.

"How many minutes do we have left?" asks Warren.

"We have 7 minutes."

XXX

_**NOTE: EXPERIENCED SOME WRITER'S BLOCK ON THIS PARTICULAR CHAPTER. HOPE YOU ENJOY THE CHAPTER. PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT AND TELL ME WHAT YA THINK!**_


	11. Nobody Gets Left Behind

**Library Tower Elevator - Tuesday 11:53 a.m.**

"This day just keeps getting better and better." sarcastically remarked Casey as looks up and around the elevator.

Chuck shoots a look over at Casey. They are both in another hair raising situation again in which they have to somehow escape before they die but this time an innocent civilian is involved. The weapon of choice is now an elevator as they were previously locked in a car that exploded along with a barrage of bullets unloaded into a house have failed, which is considered somewhat disappointing by their antagonist the Ace of Spades aka Mr. Roboto.

He can't help but think the situation all 3 of them is similar to the elevator scene in the movie Speed. Chuck hopes a bus isn't involved and they might have to jump a large gap he thinks to himself. Mr. Roboto is most definitely the Dennis Hopper character that is holding a grudge and its up to Reeves and Daniels to get the hostages out of the elevator but in this case they are the hostages and will have to somehow find a way out.

Thinking about it, Casey wouldn't compare him to Reeves or Daniels but rather Bullock's character because in his eyes he doesn't see him as a guy who can pull off being fearless and manly. He has heard his girlish screams so many times over in the past that the burly NSA agent would not be surprised to hear it but it would be expected of him being in a highly volatile situation where there is zero chance of them surviving.

For the most part, the two of them have been able to escape by the skin of their teeth. It hasn't been easy as it not only taken a physical and mental toll, but an emotional one as well. Chuck knows that if he is able to get through this entire situation hopefully unscathed reality is going to absolutely hit him right in the face dealing with the death of his friend/teammate Travis Riley and his wife Shannon.

However, he will have to deal with that later because as of right now he, Casey, and Vance have at least 7 minutes to figure a way of the elevator. An elevator that is not only approximately 72 floors above the ground, but one that has the escape hatch welded shut similar to that of the Honda at Mulholland Drive. Its going to take much more than shooting the hatch with a gun in order to get out of this he thinks to himself.

Chuck can feel the anxiety starting to build within him, especially now that he's in a considerably enclosed space. He has never been the type of person to be claustrophobic because he has been locked in a trunk at least twice in his life, which is a dubious distinction that he doesn't want to be proud of. Yet, due to the circumstances he's beginning to feel it to the point where he's freaking out inside.

The man who has cheated death countless times before may not possibly come out of this alive. Its at this point, he's beginning to have a mini panic attack. He can feel as if the entire elevator getting progressively warm causing his heartbeat beating faster, leading him to be somewhat bit lightheaded to the point where he wants to puke but restrains himself from doing so. As this is happening, he's can see from his point of view the walls around him slowly closing in on him.

Chuck's internal mini panic attack is growing to the point where its going to be a full blow panic attack that explodes into an a huge freak out. If there were a brown paper bag anywhere in the elevator he would most definitely use it to breathe into because he's about to hyperventilate. The grip he has on the side metal rails grows increasingly so much so he can quite possibly break it out from the wall he's leaning back against.

He can't hold it together any longer and just as he's about to scream out he suddenly gets hit in the stomach causing him to lean forward a bit all-the-while holding the area hit. Chuck looks over to his left and up to see Vance looking down at him. "You okay?" Vance asked with a deep, husky tone to his voice.

"I'm…uh…fine." responded Chuck. "You doing okay."

"I'm fine. Are you okay? You look like you're about to pass out or something."

Chuck is about to responds when Casey interjects his thoughts into the conversation. "He always has that look on his face and when it comes to passing out he's a master at it." stated the NSA agent. "You should show him you're move Bartowski." he addsed

A nervous smile appears on Chuck's face as he glances from Casey to the hulking man to his left. "Maybe later Casey. I think we should find out of here first don't you think." he nervously answered. "We need a miracle to get out of this." said Chuck shaking his head looking straight at the escape hatch that is welded shut.

"The little guy is right." Vance responded placing his hand on top of Chuck's head like a basketball and then shakes it. "What's the plan?"

"Agent Casey and I are trained government agents. We've been through tighter situations than this so don't worry." replied Chuck looking up at him.

"I'm not worried because I used to be in the military. Marines."

"Marine Corp, special forces. Oorah!" responded Casey. Vance responds back with one of his own. "Serve in Afghanistan?"

"2001-2004."

As the two men are talking, Chuck can't believe they're swapping war stories at a time like this. He looks down at his watch to see that they now have 5 minutes left and counting leading him to interrupt the two. "I hate to break up the conversation guys…" he said holding his watch up in his left hand and pointing at the time with his left finger. "…but we're kind of in dire straights here."

"Relax Bartowski." grunted Casey.

Vance and Chuck suddenly witness Casey unbuckling his belt causing the curly haired business owner to slowly turn and look up at Vance who also has the same confused look on his face as he does. Chuck turns back to look at Casey who now has his belt gripped in his right hand. "Casey, what are you doing?"

"Getting all 3 of us out of here." he calmly stated.

XXX

**Library Tower Elevator - Tuesday 11:53 a.m.**

"How exactly is your belt going to get us out here?" questioned Chuck expressing confusion on his face.

Casey opens up his right hand a bit to let his belt dangle in front of the Chuck and Vance. He turns it around showing a Velcro compartment in back. The NSA Agent pulls the Velcro down to reveal a medium length red wire and some type of medium length grey looking play doh. "Primacord and plastique…" he calmly stated with a hint of a smirk on his face. "…instant problem solver."

Chuck feels a renewed sense of hope at what Casey just said. If there was a time where the man who has always been known to break things instead of fixes them now would be the right time for him to do his thing. He could always count on him to pull a trick out from underneath his sleeve or in this particular case his belt in order to get out of a dicey situation.

What else is Casey carrying that I don't know about? It amazes him to no end at the things that spies are able to conceal from others until it is needed. For him, it boggles the mind the amount of high tech weapons that can not only be hidden from view on a person's body, but also be in plain sight where a mark doesn't realize what he or she is holding or looking directly/indirectly at.

He remembers the night of Ellie and Awesome's wedding when he and Sarah were alone in his bedroom the amount of weapons that were on her before they were about to have sex. He still couldn't figure out how she could conceal a black retractable staff similar to that of comic character Daredevil aka Matt Murdock on her person knowing she was nearly naked.

It took a total of 10 minutes to remove all the weapons on her person with the last thing removed were simply clothes. To be perfectly honest though, it was rather an enjoyable experience as it was considered foreplay for the both of them, which would inevitably become a routine for the two of them after coming home from a successful mission. His thoughts of romantic evenings pasts were suddenly broken by the sound of a husky voice that resonated within the elevator.

"We just a certain amount to blow the escape hatch open." said Vance. "Do you have detonating device."

"Negative." replied Casey. "We're just going to have to wing it."

"Wing it? This is not the time to be MacGyver Casey!" quickly responded Chuck.

"How about I just use you as a battering ram instead Bartowski?" grunted the government agent. "Unless you have a better idea in that head of yours then I would like to hear it." he added slapping the back of his head with right hand.

To Vance, the way he slapped Chuck in the head is similar to that of a certain character from one of his favorite tv shows NCIS where Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs slaps his team upside the head in order to get them in line. From his point of view, the way Casey slapped Chuck upside the head it seemed to him he's possibly done that before a time or two, especially to the curly haired man standing in front of him. He would also bet that like the character Gibbs he too would have a list of rules for others to adhere by.

In any case, if Casey is considered Gibbs, then Chuck would be possibly McGee instead of DiNozzo because in his mind he looks to be the nerdy type who is comfortable around computers instead of the quintessential ladies man. The big and husky head of security of the Library Towers wonders if there is a female agent on the team that is their Ziva, which there certainly is the form of one Agent Sarah Walker who is currently in Castle.

As the two men continue to "discuss" things out, Vance momentarily stands there watching the interaction between the two of them who he just met. They have certainly worked together for quite a while he thought to himself. If anyone on his team talked to him like that they would either be reprimanded on the spot or fired because he doesn't tolerate back talk from his own people.

The situation between the two men begins to get heated leading Vance to literally pick Chuck as if he was a baby up in order to move him out of harms way to the complete surprise of the brown hair business owner to where he places himself in the middle of the two men. From the looks in Casey's eyes and the clearly audible grunt directed at the skinny agent Vance acted before the situation turned ugly.

"Hey…" bellowed Vance pointing at the two of them. "…we're all working as a team here fellas so focus." he added slapping Chuck and Casey in the back of the heads.

Casey did not expect to get slapped in the back of the head especially one so hard coming from a big brute such as Vance. He was used to giving slaps upside the heads to not only his men who served under him in the military, but also to new recruits of the NSA at the training facility, which he thoroughly enjoyed doing. It became a guilt pleasure of his to walk up behind a new recruit and catch him or her not paying attention.

Without a doubt, it was the first time to be on the receiving end for once and hopefully the last time. In his mind, as big as Vance is, he could easily take him down with a swift kick to the knees and then knock him out with a knee to the face, which he decided not to do because they were after all on the same time. Plus, he was right as they needed to work together in order to get out of the elevator quickly before time runs out.

Casey grabs the plastique taking a chunk of it for himself and then immediately gives the rest it to Chuck. "Chuck, carefully roll it into a 4 separate long lengths in order to wrap around the sides of the hatch." As Chuck takes the plastique and carefully rolls it, he grabs the red Primacord handing it over to Vance. "Cut several fairly long lengths of cord in order to attach to the main cord that will not only be wrapped around tightly to the piece I have in my hand but to the other pieces that will be places around the hatch as well."

"What are you going to use to set it off?" asked Chuck. "Like you said before, you don't have a detonation device."

"Primacord consists of a high speed fuse with an explosive core so…"

Vance immediately interjects. "So we're going to have to shoot it."

"Affirmative." replied Casey.

"Isn't it dangerous since we're in such an enclosed space?" inquired Chuck with great concern on his part.

"It's a risk we're willing to take Bartowski." grunted Casey. Upon saying that Vance nods at the decision leading Chuck to hesitantly do the same. "Let's hurry up and do this because we don't have a lot of time."

XXX

**Castle - Tuesday 11:57 a.m.**

Bryce is sitting at his computer intently focused on the small individual screens in front of him. His attempts in locating an image of the Ace of Clubs haven't come up with any results whatsoever causing him to be considerably frustrated. The spent staring at the computer screen has caused eyes strain and not only cramped fingers but a cramped neck due to having his head stuck in one position for quite some time.

He stops for just a brief moment in order to crack his neck bring him some relief easing some of the tension and stress he's been experiencing sitting at the computer. He rotates his neck clockwise and this hangs his head rubbing the back of his neck. The man who was kicked in the face for telling Sarah the truth could still feel the after effects of it leading him to rub the right side of the face.

It was a reminder of how serious she truly is concerning her relationship with Chuck. He has never before seen how committed she is to something or someone for that matter other than the to job itself. The look in her eyes told him all that he needed to know because it was a look that he always wanted to see coming his way but unfortunately its directed to his former frat brother.

The position he's now in as the guy who didn't end up with who he considers the girl that ultimately got away is an unfamiliar one. As he sits there leaning back in his chair rubbing the back of neck, he can't help but think how envious he is of Chuck for being the guy who can absolutely give everything to her that he could never be able to give because he's not the type to settle down.

_I am not the marrying type._ For Bryce, admitting to himself that marriage isn't for him shows he and Sarah were never really going to be together in the end. As a partner in the spy game, she could always count him to back her up providing tactical support on a mission is familiar territory for him but when it comes to providing emotional supports its unfamiliar territory. Plus, he isn't the type to be faithful either.

Essentially, the word monogamy is considered a foreign word to spies especially to Bryce who used the opportunities he was given to hook up without her knowing. As much as he was in a so called relationship with Sarah it didn't stop him from hooking up with one Agent Carina Miller. For the two of them it was mainly about sex with no emotional attachments to speak of, which is how they both liked it.

To him, Carina was and will always be trouble with a capital T. The minute he met her he felt a vibe coming from her and truth be told it was a steamy one. As much as he wanted to throw off her advances her powers of persuasion could not be resisted, which was the one thing she was clearly good at. A guy would be an absolute moron not to resist Carina and if he did he would either have to be stupid, have strong will power, really in love or all of the above.

Like him, Carina isn't the marrying type as well. Bryce knows she's kind of woman who will tie you up in a good way but then will leave you tied up as she takes something you worked hard to get in order to use for her own personal use to get ahead in the spy business, which has happened on several occasions. Thankfully, he was never left in a hotel room in Prague tied up and gagged on the bed like Casey.

A hint of a smirk appears on his face at that particular thought causing him to shake his head a bit. There were times whenever the three of the them teamed up she would purposefully flirt with him in order to have he and Sarah fight just because it was fun for her. That is who she is and a part of him was attracted to the dangerous, wild side of Carina but he was also attracted to the closed off, sweet side of Sarah.

Its at that point, Bryce thinks of old that old saying that rings true…you can't have your cake and eat it too when it came to her and Sarah. He gets through his head that Sarah is no longer interested in him and even though he's disappointed he know he brought it on himself. Still, when one door closes another door opens as he has Carina's number and they could hook up somewhere like old times with absolutely no strings attached.

Bryce takes in a deep breathe and then looks up at the screen to where he suddenly catches something on one of the individual small screens. He immediately clicks on it punches a few keys in order to rewind the footage. Bryce leans in closer to the screen as he reviews the footage to the point where a smile appears on his face. "Gotcha." he muttered under his breathe.

XXX

**Library Tower Elevator - Tuesday 11:58 a.m.**

Chuck hands the last rolled up plastique explosive wrapped in Primacord to Vance who places and then presses up against the left side of the hatch. All 4 sides of the hatch are now surrounded with Casey's middle piece set in the middle of the hatch. Vance attaches the 4 Primacord wires together and sticks it into the plastique keeping as close to the wire in order for a clean upward explosion hopefully without any shrapnel flying downward that could possibly injury one or all of them in the process.

"A minute and a half!" Chuck frantically stated.

"Okay, get ready." barked Casey.

Casey knows that as tight a space they are in they can't hide anywhere in order to avoid the blast. The escape hatch itself is located in the back far right corner and they have to situate as far away as they can, which is to be at the far left kneeling down up against the wall with either their back turned away from the blast or facing forward so as to move quickly as soon as the blast occurs.

Chuck and Vance ready themselves as they are up against the left side of the elevator tightly hug the corners. Casey has no choice but to stay in the middle between the two men and after getting into position he aims his weapon straight at the plastique embedded in the middle of the hatch wound tightly with red Primcord. He shields his face with his left arm and just before he shoots he warns the two men on either side of him its go time. "Fire in the hole!" he hollered.

The NSA Agent fires and hits his target causing a chain reaction that makes not only a significant upward impact blowing the escape hatch completely off its hinges, but it has also caused somewhat significant damage to the inside of the elevator as well. Its within the smoky aftermath of the blast several faint coughs are heard suggesting that all 3 men are still alive.

The first man to immediately get up is Casey who is a bit groggy but quickly recovers the best he can. He quickly looks up to asses the damage and then quickly checks on Chuck who is also a bit groggy and seemingly unharmed but before he stands up he finds a piece of shrapnel embedded just a few inches from his head. He doesn't have time to freak out as Casey grabs him by his collar.

"Bartowski, get up there now!" he ordered.

"What about Vance!" he said pointing at him.

Casey quickly glances at Vance through the smoky haze and from what he can see he's okay. "I got him." replied the grizzled military vet. "Just get topside and onto something stable because this elevator is going down with or without us in it."

"I'll see you…"

"Move it Chuck!" screamed Casey.

Chuck pulls downs his sleeves to cover his hands and then with the assistance of Casey he pulls himself up. Upon getting out, the first thing he sees is the mechanism to release the elevator that is now counting down from 30 seconds. Chuck quickly hollers down to Casey into the elevator as he climbs up on a ladder within the confines of the elevator shaft. "50 seconds Casey!" he screamed down into the enclosed space.

Casey hears Chuck's echoing voice within the elevator shaft as he goes over to get Vance who is leaning against the wall holding his neck. He thinks he may have suffered a neck injury due to the impact of the blast but when he clearly sees him, he knows the reason why he's leaning against the wall holding his beck. He sees two pieces of shrapnel are embedded in the right side of his neck causing blood to flow out. From the looks of it, the shrapel hit an artery telling him he's not going to make it for very much longer.

He doesn't have time to think as he quickly grabs Vance and moves him over to the opening. "Come on, we're getting you out of here." he firmly stated

"Go on with out me." he screamed batting away his had stopping Casey from helping him.

"No! We're marines and nobody get's left behind!" he screamed back.

Vance suddenly drops to the floor of the elevator as he's losing not only strength but consciousness as well. "Promise one thing…" he struggled to say taking a quick breathe. "…one marine to another."

"What is it."

"Get the bastard who did this for me." he replied as he reaches up with his left hand.

Casey reaches up and tightly grips the left hand of his brother in arms looking directly in the eyes. "I promise." proclaimed one fellow to another.

In that moment, the life slips away from Vance and as much as he wants to take his fallen brother and give him a proper burial he knows he has to just say a quick prayer. He does so and then closes Vance's eyes. He then lets go of his hand after hearing Chuck screaming his name once again. Casey immediately jumps and after taking one last glance back down at Vance he pulls himself out of the elevator.

He's standing on top of the elevator walking towards the same ladder that Chuck is currently on when it suddenly falls but luckily he grabbed it before he fell. He quickly steadies himself placing his feet on the rungs. The two men watch as the elevator they were just in falls down and disappears into the darkness below. Casey knows he's going to have to call in NSA cleaners for potential injuries to civilians below.

As he looks down, he hears Chuck's voice calling down to him. "Where's Vance?"

"He didn't make it." replied Casey shaking his head. He climbs past Chuck and up towards the elevator door of 73rd floor.

There is a brief moment of silence as they honor the memory of their fallen comrade in arms but that silence is soon replaced by a loud rumble causing both men to feel it to where they immediately look down. Chuck and Casey see a red fireball instantly appear to where it rises up and rises up fast. The tired and somewhat beat up NSA agents quickly jumps into action prying the elevator door to the 73rd floor open with the same knife he gave Chuck to cut the interior of the back seat with.

"Casey!" screamed Chuck who is focused on the fireball heading directly for them.

Casey ignores Chuck and uses all the strength to pry the doors open. When he has enough space he tells him to move quickly and does so stepping over Casey squeezing himself through the small space provided. When he drops over to the other side, he quickly stands up pushing the elevator door making enough room for him to pull Casey up and into safety with the fireball vastly approaching.

Chuck grabs Casey's hand and with all the strength he has pulls him up. He helps him to his feet and slaps Casey on the right shoulder. As they both momentarily stand there in the opening they both glance down to see the fireball right below them. Casey immediately grabs Chuck and dives falling back for cover as the flames shoot into the 73rd floor but is inevitably blocked by the elevator door.

XXX

_**NOTE: SORRY FOR THE DELAY FOLKS. I'LL TRY TO GET THE NEXT CHAPTER OUT AS QUICKLY AS I CAN. AS USUAL PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT.**_


	12. Motivation and Incentive

**Library Tower 73rd**** Floor - Tuesday 12:01 p.m.**

Chuck and Casey narrowly escaped another of Mr. Roboto's twisted traps involving an elevtor that was not only set to release at noon, but unbeknownst to them that it exploded causing a massive fireball to shoot up the elevator shaft. The two men suffered minor burns to their hands for their efforts, which were bandaged up due to the assistance of a helpful senior executive whose resides on the top floor.

Much to their surprise he was a veteran of the army who was a medic in the field. When he heard noise coming from the hall he came to check on what all the commotion was about. He saw Chuck and Casey fall to the grown nearly getting engulfed in flames by the massive fireball and the former medic jumped into action getting not only the fire extinguisher, but a medical kit as well.

The former medic never really forgot his training as he immediately attended to the two men. After taking some time to recoup, Casey advised the senior executive to take the day off, which he gladly obeyed. He then contacted the NSA cleaners who were on standby just in case and once they heard about an incident at the Library Towers they sprung into action.

The cleaners evacuated the building giving the cover story to the media about a faulty elevator causing several injuries and one death to innocent civilians. To Casey he wasn't just a innocent civilian but rather a fellow Marine, Vance Warren who died senselessly by a cowardly act of a sick and twisted individual with a personal vendetta against he and Chuck. He made a promise not only to Vance to get the bastard, but to himself as well that Vance's memory of a fallen soldier dying in the line of duty will not be forgotten.

It was at that point the oh so familiar sound of a cell phone rings. Casey raises up to eye level leading Chuck to look at it as well. After letting it ring several times, he answers it and puts it once again on speakerphone. "Nice try ass wipe but we're still alive."

_"I'm impressed Agent Casey at the Houdini-esque way you and Mr. Bartowski are able to get out of my traps." _the digitized voice smugly responded.

"Well we're full of surprises." responded Chuck.

_"Tell me how do you do it?"_

"Motivation and Incentive." firmly stated Casey gritting his teeth. "I'm motivated to kick your ass and I'm using the death of a fallen marine as my incentive."

Chuck witnessed the intensity in his eyes as he spoke into the phone to Mr. Roboto. He indeed does have the motivation and the incentive for his own payback as does he with the death of his friend/teammate Travis. The involvement of a former member of the military that are also known as devil dogs has now become personal for him. The anger in his voice was magnified immensely, especially now that a fellow marine was killed.

To him, one of the main things Casey is proud of other than his loyalty to former President Ronald Reagan is being a marine and serving his country proudly with his fellow marines by his side. The veteran agent always told him that being a marine meant not only being in a brotherhood but also meant being a part of some mystical fellowship of valor. If one marine falls another steps up and takes his place.

A marine must comply with hallowed rituals and conform to an uncompromising code of honor, discipline, and personal integrity. He must have absolute commitment to his Corps and have the moral strength to see missions through no matter how difficult it is or the odds against them. It was something that has always stuck in his mind and he would never really forget it.

Chuck remembers the one thing he always reiterated being the proud Marine that he is. It was him saying the Army has soldiers. The Navy has sailors. The Air Force has airmen or zoomiesor. But only the combat oriented Marines have bestowed the name of their service upon each member of their brotherhood, regardless of rank. The Marine Corps has Marines.

_"I see." _Mr. Roboto replied. _"However, that can get you so far and by my calculations you two have used up 3 out of your 9 lives."_

"Just give us the damn clue." he quickly blurted out.

_"Your next clue was actually in the last clue I gave you."_

"What are you talking about." questioned Casey.

_"Figure it out and you will have all the time you need to get to the next location."_

The two men hear a click on the other end of the line leaving them to stand beside each other. Casey points one direction he's heading to while he points for Chuck to go the other inevitably meeting up on the other side. Chuck nods leading both to head in opposite directions looking for any sign of the next clue, which gives them the next location of where they are supposed to be going.

Chuck heads off to his left as Casey heads off to his right. They both check every nook and cranny of the 73rd floor, which is considered one big circular office. As Chuck is looking he's impressed by the sheer lavishness of the digs that the senior executive put himself in and can't help but wonder how much he makes. He immediately shakes off those thoughts and continues searching to the point where he and Casey eventually meet back up.

"Does anything look out of the ordinary?" inquired Casey looking around the evacuated 73rd floor.

Chuck scratches his head as he looks at Casey. "Something tells me the clue isn't on the 73rd floor."

"Then what is it about moron?" questioned Casey.

Casey watches as Chuck starts to pace back and forth in front of him. He then hears Chuck repeat the last line of the clue that was given to them. "In order to reach the top level you must first step into a place that has its up and downs." he stated out loud. After a few moments of pacing he stops in front of him, snaps his fingers, and looks directly at him all in one fell swoop. "I know where we're going."

"Where?"

"The very top level…" answered the brown haired man. "…the roof." he added pointing up.

XXX

**Castle - Tuesday 12:10 p.m.**

Sarah glances over at Bryce who is intently focused on the computer screen in front of him. However, the look of frustration on his face that was plastered on his face before was no longer there as it has now been replaced with a smile leading her to believe that he has been able to catch a glimpse of the Ace of Spades. If so, then she'll be able to snap a photo and send it Chuck so he can flash on it.

"Hey…" she said. "…you got something?"

Bryce glances over at Sarah still sporting the smile on his face. In that moment, he wasn't concerned about the relationship he once shared with Sarah because he wanted to prove to her that he is there to help instead of being the quintessential ex who is trying to start trouble. She finally got through to his head with not just a kick to the face, but also with her gun against his other head that they will never be together.

As much as hates to lose at anything he's happy that his former roommate at Stanford got the best girl and before you know they'll be married, which means his favorite NSA Agent will become even more protective of the two. To Bryce, it baffles his mind on how truly protective he is of the relationship between Chuck and Sarah, but when it comes to two of them on an individual basis he's makes fun of them.

He's already been threatened twice by Casey as he was slammed onto a conference table at the warehouse and then slammed against the wall at Chuck's house. To him, its an odd relationship between the 3 of them and even though he acts like he's annoyed by their love for one another somewhere in the cold school heart of his he actually cares about Sarah and Chuck, which he finds funny all things considering.

"Sure do." responded Bryce. He punches a few keys and puts the video on the main Castle computer screen. Sarah's former partner immediately gets up and stands in front of it with a look of absolute focus in his eyes. After taking a few moments he plays the video and then spins around to look at Sarah. "Okay, what do you see." he says with a smile on his face sitting back on the edge of the computer console.

Sarah takes a quick glance at Bryce and then walks closer to the screen looks directly at the enlarged surveillance video. From what Sarah can see, it's the hallway of the hotel and nothing seems to be out of the ordinary as people come and go doing what is normally done. After a few seconds, she sees the image of the Ace of Clubs walk into the picture but the perp's face is out of camera view.

The video is about 30 seconds long as it shows the 3rd member of Dead Man's Hand walking up the hallway maneuvering her way around a number of people before the perp is once again out of camera view. She makes sure to watch the entire video and take into account everything she is able to see because she wants to see what apparently Bryce saw in this particular video, but from her point of view she sees nothing.

As she stands there momentarily looking at the screen, she wonders if Bryce is once again wasting her time and making another attempt to make a pass at her. He already has 2 strikes on him making this particular instance would make it his 3rd strike, which would allow her to break, cut, or shoot of a body part. I'm going to do more than just kick him in the side of the head she thinks to herself.

She continues to look at the screen and once the video is done she stands there in silence for a few seconds with her arms crossed. "Bryce, from this footage its impossible to see a face let alone a profile." she retorted shaking her head.

"That's what I thought until I stopped looking and let the video show me." responded Bryce with a smirk on his face.

_Is he high or did the swift kick to his head knock some screws loose in his head?_ She immediately turns to look at him tilting her head a bit to the left giving a very questionable look towards him What kind of answer is that Sarah thinks to himself. To her, the time spent sitting there staring at the computer for quite some time must have fried Bryce's brain.

"You're not making any sense Bryce."

"It will soon enough." Bryce stands up, walks up to her, and then turns around facing the screen. He immediately places both hands in front of him and from Sarah's point of view it looked as if he's directing some kind of movie. "The reason I wasn't able to get a viable photo is that I was too intently focused on the perp." he said. "I should have been focused on the people around the perp. Tell me, when you watched the video did you focus on Mr. Roboto?"

"Yeah." replied Sarah with nod.

"And so did I causing me to become frustrated. That was my mistake." Bryce walks up and begins punches a few key rewinding the entire 30 second video again. "What you want to focus on is the people that come into contact or pass the perp. So watch and tell me what you see."

Bryce runs the video and Sarah watches the people in and/or around Mr. Roboto. Her eyebrows furrow as her attention is now focused on what Bryce told her. After 20 seconds into the video her eyes not only widen but a hint of a smile on her face. She turns to look at Bryce who is smiling back at her. "I always knew there was more to you than just your looks Bryce." she responded. "Enlarge it, clean it, and then send it to Chuck." she added

"So what's my reward?" inquirded Bryce with his arms open at his side.

Sarah slowly walks up in front of Bryce and then leans forward mere inches away from his face. "You get to call General Beckman and inform her of our progress." she answered looking into his eyes with a smirk on her face. "I, on the other hand, will call Chuck and tell him we've made progress."

Sarah leans back pushing his right shoulder in the process. She then turns around heading back to her computer as Bryce turns his head to the right in order to shake his head with a sly smile on his face. That's not a reward that's more like a punishment he thinks to himself. He takes a quick amusing sight and then turns to the left heading back to his computer in order to not only contact Beckman, but get busy working on the getting a clearer picture of the Ace of Clubs.

XXX

**Library Tower Stairwell Leading To The Roof Top - Tuesday 12:20 p.m.**

Chuck and Casey walk through the door into the stairwell leading to the roof. The two men have been through hell surviving nearly being dropped from 73 floors but escaped an exploding elevator. They're tired, battered, bruised, scraped, slightly burned from the massive fireball that shot up from the elevator shaft and not to smell to high heaven. In that moment Chuck, thinks they seriously need some good news in all this chaos they've been subjected to.

It's a that point, Chuck's cell phone goes off causing both men to stop at the base of the stares leading to the roof just above them. As Casey sits down to take a breather as he wipes the sweat of his forehead with his somewhat burned right sleeve. Chuck answers it as a smile appears on his face as he sees the name on the small screen. "Hey beautiful.." responded Chuck with a smile on her face. "…please tell me you have some news to share."

_"I do." _replied Sarah. _"Tell me something first how are you and Casey doing though?"_

"We're still breathing…" Chuck breathes out. "…a bit banged up and slightly burned but still breathing."

_"What happened." _asked a concerned Sarah.

Chuck didn't want to worry her because if he revealed too much she wouldn't be able to focus on the mission at hand. He needed her to be on her A game because if she isn't then her emotions take over causing her to make irrational decisions, which is what the Mr. Roboto wants. IF God forbid the two of them don't make its up to her and Bryce to stop the lunatic.

"He locked us in an elevator 73 floors high at the Library Towers but Casey was able to get us out."

_"How?"_

"Oh you know…" Chuck glanced over at Casey who is looking up at him. "…he happened to have Primacord and plastique concealed in his belt that allowed us to escape."

_"Glad both of you could make it out."_

"Not all of us babe." responded Chuck.

_"Who…"_

Chuck immediately interject. "The head of security for the Library Towers Vance Warren. He and Casey shared a common bond being that they were both Marines."

_"Let me talk to him."_ requested Sarah.

Casey watches as Chuck reaches over handing him the phone in order to talk to Sarah on the other end. He knows that Sarah is concerned about him not just as a partner but as a friend and would like nothing more than to talk with him to see how he's doing. However, he's never been the type to talk about what he deemed his "lady feelings" for others to listen to.

He's always dealt with how he's feeling by plopping down in his chair watching Law and Order with a glass of scotch in his hand and the bottle sitting on the table right in front of him. Essentially, drinking has been his coping mechanism in order to not think about past events that have stuck in his mind to the point where its haunted him to no end and the recent death of a fellow marine is considered such an event.

The NSA agent shakes his head and from the look on Chuck's face he understands causing him to nod at his teammate and friend. "He doesn't want to talk right now Sarah." he said with a sullen tone to his voice.

_"Just tell Casey we're going to get him." _said Sarah. _"He's my partner…"_Chuck immediately sets his phone on speaker letting Casey hear what she's about say. _"…the best damn partner I've ever had and the son of a bitch will pay dearly for not only killing Travis but his friend as well. He's helped us more times than we can count and I think we owe it to him too…"_

"Jeez Walker I'm touched but can you save the corny sentiments until after we get the bastard."

A momentary silence is heard on the other end by both men. Chuck is a bit concerned causing him to forgo the speaker phone and talk to her one on one. "Sarah you there?" asked Chuck.

_"How much of that did Casey hear?"_

"The best damn partner and so on." Chuck pauses. "I'm in trouble aren't I?"

_"It depends."_

"Depends on what?" Chuck asks with absolute curiosity.

_"It depends on you coming back to me alive, which I know you will."_

"Don't worry I will." he replied back. "I promise I will return to you safe and sound. You're what motivates me to keep getting up every time I get knocked down and the smile on your face is incentive for me to fight for the greater good of our future." A wide smile appears on Sarah face upon hearing that and is about to respond back when she suddenly hears an audible grunt on the other end of the line. She could hear Casey say something about puking if the two of them continue to proceed with the lovey dovey talk leading her to hear Chuck's voice once again. "As you heard Grumpy Smurf, he wants us to hurry this up so what do you have for us that will be helpful?"

_"Bryce was able to isolate a picture of The Ace of Spades. Once we have a clear picture I'll send it to you so you can flash hopefully giving us a name."_

"Great news." replied Chuck. "Casey and I are heading to the roof of the Library Towers."

_"Be careful."_ said a concerned Sarah.

"I will.

Chuck is about to hang up when he hears Sarah's voice once again._ "Chuck wait!"_

"What is it?" Chuck quickly responded. "What's wrong?"

There is a brief silence on the other end and then Chuck hears three words that just uplifts him. _"I love you."_

A smile appears on Chuck's face upon hearing that. "I love you too." he retorted.

There is momentary silence in the stairwell leading to the roof that is considered both awkward and befitting the situation. After a moment or two Casey watches as Chuck closes his phone, grips it, and then sticks it in his pocket. From his point of view, Chuck is somewhat lost after speaking with Sarah. Its at that point, Casey uses the rail to pull himself up and as he turns around to walk up the stairs he glances over his shoulder at him.

"You coming?"

The sound of Casey's voice echoing within the stairwell snaps Chuck to reality. He turns to look up at Casey who is already at the middle section of the stairs. "Yeah, I'm coming." he replied walking up the stairs.

Casey once again glances over his shoulder to see Chuck following him up the stair and as he does so he asks him a question. "Why didn't you tell her there was also a bomb on the elevator too?"

The curly haired busy owner stops at the spot where Casey was standing. He looks up to see him at the front door and peering down at him. "I didn't want her to worry and besides she doesn't need to know everything."

There is a brief silence from Casey as he opens the door causing the semi-lit stairwell to be filled with light. "Way to man up. There's hope for you yet as a spy Bartowski." stated Casey who disappears through door leaving Chuck standing there alone. Chuck stands there for a moment shaking his head but after a few seconds he gives off a hint of a smile on his face. He quickly pats the rail a few times, hobbles up the stairs, opens the door, and disappears through the door following Casey to find the next clue.

XXX

**Library Tower Roof Top - Tuesday 12:30 p.m.**

"Wow it's windy up here." said Chuck as the winds whips his hair around.

"Try not to fly off idiot." responded Casey. "As thin as you are the wind can easily pick you up and send you flying off to who knows where. I'll have to end up explaining to Walker what happened to you and I really don't want to do that so stay away from the edge." he adds.

Chuck complies with the what Casey said knowing full well that it might actually happen. From where he stands he can not only hear the wind whipping around due to the high altitude but he can also see the wondrous sights of Los Angeles in all its splendor. As much as he would like to take it all in, he forgets that he's not too fond of heights causing him grip the rail as he walks up the steps towards the open roof.

The two men eventually reach the top and before they both step out onto the roof Casey motions for Chuck to wait in order for him to make sure if its safe for both of them to continue on. Casey reaches out from behind him taking out his weapon and slowly peers out doing a quick sweep of the area. The only thing he sees is a helicopter sitting in the middle of the rooftop telling him that they are on a helipad.

From Casey's point of view, there seems to be nobody in there. He slowly steps up and out with his weapon tightly gripped. He is in a heightened state of awareness making sure there isn't any sign of danger as he cautiously approaches the helicopter. As he does so, Chuck follows closely behind him and after a moment or two they reach what looks like a private helicopter for the executives.

Casey does a quick sweep both external and internal making sure there isn't anything hokey. After the initial sweep he reaches the cockpit door with gun still drawn and cautiously opens it. What he finds on the seat is a small tape record with a fold piece of paper tape to it. He takes it out handing the folded piece of paper to Chuck while he has the small tape recorder in his left hand.

"What does it say?"

"Play me." responded Chuck.

Casey pushes the play button and the two men first hear silence but then hear the unmistakable digitized voice they both have grown to despise. _"Gentlemen, if you are listening to this then you must have been able to escape the elevator. I commend the two of you for being such tenacious and formidable adversaries. Let's not waste anymore time shall we. You will take the helicopter to you next destination, which is already programmed into the GPS locator for you. You're next challenge awaits._

As Casey stops the tape recorder, Chuck looks at him. "Are you sure about this?"

"Nope…" responded Casey getting into the cockpit and putting on the headset. "…but that hasn't stopped us before."

XXX

**_NOTE: HOPE YOU ENJOYED READING THIS CHAPTER FOLKS. PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT AND TELL ME WHAT YA THINK!_**


	13. Mr Roboto Thy Name Is

**Helicopter 5,000ft In The Air - Tuesday 12:45 p.m.**

Chuck and Casey are high above the city of Los Angeles heading east towards their next location which is provided to them by the GPS locator from one Mr. Roboto. A few minutes ago they lifted off from the helipad located on top of the Library Tower on an executive helicopter possibly owned by the man who rushed to their aide after getting a bit burned from the massive fireball that shot up from the elevator shaft.

The black helicopter itself is a Bell 222 twin-engine helicopter and to Chuck it sort of resembled the fictitious top secret high tech military copter known as Airwolf only it wasn't equipped with any weaponry that could defended themselves for a possible attack. It is equipped however with an onboard mini computer system located on the passenger side dash of the copter where Chuck is currently sitting in.

The television show Airwolf was one of his favorites to watch growing up as a kid. His favorite character was Stringfellow Hawk played by Jan Michael Vincent. In a way, Casey is Stringfellow Hawk and he is the trusty technological sidekick Dominic Santini played brilliantly by actor Ernest Borgnine, which he consider himself to be only better looking and thinner.

In any case, the two men knew there could be a possibility that the copter could be tampered with in some way, shape, or form but jumped in any way. They did not have any choice in the matter because if they don't play by the mastermind's rules an innocent civilian or civilians will pay the price. Casey knows sooner or later they will have to break the rules and will have to find the perfect time to do it but when he thinks to himself.

As he sits in the cockpit, he knows they are going to be absolutely vulnerable in the sky and if a possible threat occurs they will be sitting ducks in the air for whatever Mr. Robot has planned. As much as he considers himself a skilled pilot he doesn't know how long he'll be able to out maneuver what's coming at or behind them. Its out of their hands and they have to keep moving forward without know what's ahead.

For Casey, dealing with the unknown of a situation is part of the business is one thing when you're a spy but not being able to be in control of it is another. Since the very beginning, they have been dealing with absolute unknowns and each time they have been able to barely make it out alive. Unfortunately, there has already been three confirmed deaths, several injuries, and a kidnapping in the wake of the situation.

Casey turns to see Chuck with a headset on as well sitting beside him with his head back and eyes closed in the passenger seat. The NSA agent sees how much he's been through not just physically and mentally, but emotionally as well. He has to hand it to the kid for keeping it together and despite expressing his "lady feelings" not once but twice to Sarah he's been able to prove himself to him to be worthy enough to be called a legitimate spy.

"Wake up Bartowski." barked Casey.

"I'm not sleeping." responded Chuck. The beleaguered business owners opens his eyes and turns his head to look at Casey. "As much as I want to at this point I know I can't and like you always said I can sleep when I'm dead, which I hope doesn't happen." he added.

"Glad you're pay attention to something I've said." he retorted. "Now if you can only work on staying in the car like you're told.

Chuck gives off a hint of a smirk as he shakes his head. Throughout this entire situation he still has been able to have a sense of humor despite all that has happened. For any other person they wouldn't be able to keep a sense of humor because of all the horrible and despicable things that have happened in the span of several hours. For any other person it would cause him or her to throw in the two but not for he and Casey.

To him, giving up means not only quitting on Casey and Sarah but also quitting on the lives of Vance, Travis, and his wife Shannon that have been senselessly taken away. It's not what he wants to do and he certainly knows it not what Casey wants to do either because he's determined to get his hands on the person responsible to where in his own words its become his motivation, as well as incentive.

As he sits there looking out the side of the window, he feels himself fighting to stay awake but its hard since they are mainly sitting down, which doesn't help things any. What he wouldn't give for a 5 hour energy drink he thinks to himself. Chuck knows he needs to keep himself awake and in order to do that he has to talk to Casey, which is easier said than done because he's not much of a conversationalist.

"So…" wondered Chuck quickly glancing to his left at Casey. "…have you called Jayne to see how she's doing?"

Casey shoots an all-too-familiar look over towards Chuck that would normally instill fear in him but he's so tired at this point that he doesn't care. "Why do you want to know?" questioned Casey.

"I'm just concerned buddy…" he replied shaking his head. "…I've talked with Sarah and its helped my moral during this whole crazy situation." he addrf. "I was just thinking that hearing her voice would put a smile on your face…" Chuck hears Casey give a low growl at what he said. "…or not."

"We're fine Bartowski. I'm not like you where I constantly have to express my "lady feelings" to her." answered the NSA agent. "Besides, Jayne's a tough woman and she can take care of herself."

"I don't doubt that but it would be nice to call her and see how she is doing."

_Bartowski is right._ Did I just say that Casey thought to himself? He distinctly remembers before leaving the apartment telling Jayne to not only stay safe, but keep herself armed in case something happens. He knows that a part of him wants to be at her side protecting her, but truth be told she didn't need to be protected. Jayne is a strong, tough, independent smart woman and for the life of him he doesn't know why she's with him.

Any other woman would have run screaming knowing that the man she is currently dating not only likes to trim bonsai trees in his spare time, but is a trained killer working for a government agency known as the NSA. Yet, when she found out by happenstance she didn't run screaming to the point where he had to tranq her and use persuasive means to keep her quiet. Instead, she accepted it knowing full well what she was getting herself into.

"If I call her would you get off my back?" grunted Casey.

"Do you promise?"

"Bartowski don't make push you out of this helicopter." he replied in a threatening manner. "Look, I'm a man of my word."

Chuck nods at the promise Casey knowing full well he is truly a man of his word. There is a brief moment of silence in the cabin of the copter when Chuck suddenly feels a vibration in his pocket causing him to take out his cell phone. When he looks at the screen it reads picture message leading him to assume that Bryce was able to isolate a clear picture of Mr. Roboto.

When Chuck clicks on the message to see the picture, his eyes begin to flutter and sees several images. After its over, he quickly looks over at Casey who has been keenly aware of what just happened. "I know who Mr. Roboto is." Chuck quickly stated.

XXX

**Helicopter 5,000ft In The Air - Tuesday 12:55 p.m.**

"Well spit it out." responded Casey.

"Elliot Severs. He's not only considered the deadliest member of the Dead Man's Hand but he's pretty much the enforcer of the team. Severs is responsible for a number of high profile assassination attempts that have succeeded and always left the calling card of the Ace of Clubs." spitted out Chuck. "The last known job he did was back in 04 where a high ranking Colombian official was to turn over pertinent information to the F.B.I but before he was to give a sworn statement he assassinated. He was found dead in his hotel hanging from his wrists from the ceiling fan with his throat cut and tongue..." Chuck restrains himself from puking. "...well its pretty nasty."

"Its called a Columbian necktie." stated Casey. "A method of execution where the victim's throat is slashed and their tongue is pulled out through the open wound.

Chuck shows him the picture on his cell phone to Casey. From his point of view, he sees a man in his mid to late 40's sporting grey hair. To him, he knows from experience that age or the color of one's hair oftentimes doesn't effect the performance of pulling off an assassination. The burly NSA agent has crossed paths with many assassins and the best are usually veterans at the their craft.

What a veteran lacks in speed and strength because of their age they make up for years of intelligence and experience. He was taught that some of the best veteran spies use their wits instead of gunfire, explosions, or hand to hand to combat to get out of an intense situation. Its just a matter of using what Chuck likes to refer as the Jedi mind trick in order to get the baddie to do what you want without them knowing it.

The best example of a veteran agent is Chuck's father Casey thinks to himself. What he lacked in quickness as he got older he made up for in being able to mentally throw off his adversaries. He spent the last 15 or so years evading the person who burned him and was able to stay off the radar using his brain. He was a man that he truly respected and he made a promise to him that he would looks after not only Chuck, but Sarah as well.

It would be a promise he would keep and as much as Chuck and Sarah get on his nerves constantly sharing their feeling towards each other to the point where its sickening he's protective of them. Casey has seen these two go back and forth so many times that he literally wanted to grab the two knocking their heads together. In his mind, they are better together than apart and he will get in the face of anyone who try to break them apart.

He would do it without them knowing of course because he doesn't want the two of them to know he actually cares. For Casey, letting Chuck and Sarah know that he cares about them is something that would completely throw the dynamic of the team off because he's considered the reality check and sometimes he needs to slap the two lovebirds upside the head to show them he's still a scary individual, as well as, intimidating figure amongst the team.

"We now have a name and a face. Its just a matter of time till we eventually come face to face with Severs."

No truer words have been spoken Chuck thinks to himself. Severs has the both of them running through hoops for his own sick and twisted pleasure. As much as he's disappointed that they have been able to escape from the last 3 traps he's laid for them he's been calm each time giving another clue for the next trap set for them hoping it takes the two of them out.

For Chuck, being around Casey for the last 3 and half years has taught him one thing when it comes to dealing with bad guys like Servers. In order to throw him off his game and make a critical mistake you have to make him angry causing him to lose absolute focus. Essentially, that is what they have to do to Severs so he will ultimately slip up and make a mistake giving them ample opportunity to strike.

"We got 'em'"

"Don't celibrate yet." responded the government agent. "We don't want to tip our hand and reveal that we know his true identity. As of right now we continue to play along until we make our move." he added.

"How long?" questioned Chuck. raising both eyebrows

Casey glances at Chuck and then immediately looks forwards shaking his head. _Good question Bartowski, good question._

XXX

**Castle - Tuesday 1:00 p.m.**

Bryce contacted General Beckman informing her of their progress. He share with her the photo he was able to capture and immediately sent the photo to Chuck in order for him to flash on it. It wasn't before long that Sarah joins in on the briefing providing information Chuck shared with her. It was at that point, Beckman provides more information on not only their current situation, but the man who came to Chuck and Casey's aide.

"Thanks to Mr. Bartowski, we now have a name to go with the face that Agent Larkin provided us." she states. "His name is Elliot Severs."

"According to Chuck, he's considered The Dead Man's Hand enforcer and responsible for a slew of high profile assassination jobs with a 100% success rate."

Bryce turns to look at Sarah. "That doesn't bode well for Chuck and Casey." His attention turns from Sarah to Beckman on Castle's main computer screen. "What's our next step General?"

"You don't do anything. Let Agent Casey and Chuck continue to do what they have been doing." replied the red headed general. "So far they are still alive and hope they stay that way for all our sakes. You two will continue to monitor the situation until otherwise notified. That is an order. The two agents nod in acknowledgement of Beckman's orders leading her to continue on. "The next order of business concerns Mark Jensen."

"Who is he General?" inquired Sarah.

"He's the top executive of the U.S. Bank Tower otherwise known as The Library Tower." she says. "He's also a former medic in the army who retired from the military in 82'. His experience in the medical field came in quite handy when the elevator blew up to where a massive fireball to shut up from the elevator shaft causing both men to have burned.

Upon hearing that news Sarah quickly responds. "Are they okay."

"They suffered only minor burns to the hands according to Jensen." responded Beckman. "Both men are doing fine from what Jensen said."

Sarah wonders why Chuck didn't tell her about nearly getting blown up in the elevator and suffered minor burns in the process. If it were possible, she would slap Chuck upside the head through Castle's main computer for not telling her all that had happened in the elevator shaft at the Library Tower. However, what is done is done and now she has to sit back to wait for what happens next.

As a spy she understood why Chuck didn't tell her about being burned up because he wanted her to stay focused but as a woman who is going to marry the man she loves she feels scared for him causing the concern and worry she has for him to grow even greater. For the first time in her life, she feels powerless to do anything as if both her hands are tied causing her to feel not only feel restless but scared as well.

Thinking about it, she has never felt this scared before, especially for someone who she thought she truly cared about. Sarah quickly glances at Bryce and knows that she has never felt that fear with him. Essentially, she never felt scared for his safety for his well being whenever they were in the field knowing he could get himself out of it. She was concerned about him not as a lover but as a partner.

Sarah could always separate the two distinctions between her and Bryce back then but now when it comes to Chuck she can't. To her, no matter how hard she tries to separate being a lover and spy partner to him she knows its going to be difficult because her heart has been touched by a fabulous man. A man who she would absolutely fight for and vice versa.

She can feel herself about to smile but restrains herself from doing so because of the situation at hand. Her thoughts are abruptly ended when she hears Bryce's voice. "How does a former army medic become a top executive of the U.S. Bank Tower?" inquired Bryce with a hint of smirk on his face.

"Its not a considered a matter of importance Agent Larkin." firmly stated Beckman. Sarah sees Beckman shoot a laser like glare right towards Bryce causing the smirk on his face to quickly fall flat and come to full attention. It amused her to know that Beckman can make any hardened agent feel like a 10 year old with just a simple glare. "What_ is_ considered matter of importance however is that before Agent Casey took off with Mr. Bartowski he contacted the NSA cleaners and informed them they were taking off in a helicopter that is possibly owned by Jensen." she added.

"Has he been contacted?"

"Affirmative." Beckman punches a few keys bringing up a map of the Los Angeles area with a blinking red dot. "He informed us that there is a tracking chip installed in the mini on board computer. We've been tracking them for quite some time now Agent Walker."

"Where is their current location General." asked Sarah.

"As you can see they are somewhere over West Covina heading east" stated the general.

"Can we contact them?" inquired Bryce.

"We can but as of right now we're going to monitor what's going on in the cockpit." Beckman stated. "We don't want to endanger Agent Casey and Mr. Bartowski further by letting Severs know we're helping them."

Sarah and Bryce nod in agreement. For Sarah, knowing where Chuck is eases some of the tension she has been feeling for practically most of the day. It has been quite difficult to say the least for her to stay focused knowing that he is out there risking his life along side Casey in order thwart some lunatic with a vendetta against the two of them. All she can on her end is hope and pray that he and Casey stay safe.

XXX

**Helicopter 5,000ft In The Air - Tuesday 1:15 p.m.**

Its been 15 minutes since Casey and Chuck took off from the helipad from the Library Tower. Things have settled down for the two of them and normally that would be considered a good thing because they didn't blow up, which means Severs wants them to mentally suffer in the helicopter miles up in the air without having any idea what could in store for them is unsettling.

However, for Chuck being in a helicopter is much better than being in the enclosed space of an elevator. He felt claustrophobic being stuck in there to the point where he felt like the walls were closing in on him but being in the copter its constantly moving making him feel somewhat relaxed given the situation. Plus, he has the onboard mini computer system enabling him to keep him busy.

"What are you doing Bartowski?" questioned Casey.

"I don't know how long we're going to be up here…" responded Chuck as he punches away at the keys. "…so I'm using the time to check out what's on the computer."

"What are you going to do? Go to Facebook and update your status?" he asked. "What are you going to say? I'm currently in a helicopter waiting for a member of Dead Man's Hand to strike soon so cross your fingers if he shows up."

"Very funny Casey. By the way you should create a profile on Facebook. Its fun and everybody is on there like Sarah, Cassidy, Awesome, Morgan, Ellie, and Anna." he said. "Even Jayne is on there. " he added.

"It just a waste of time."

"Come on buddy it's a social network and a guy like you could take some time to socialize on line" replied the tired lanky man. "There are people out there who are waiting for you to add them as friends."

"Not for me."

"All I'm saying its fun. You get to poke people, chat, and there is a game called Mafia Wars that you would thoroughly enjoy playing." Casey shoots a glare over at him. "I'll just create one for you how about that."

Casey sees Chuck typing away the computer and voice his displeasure. "Chuck I said…"

"Casey I'm not going on Facebook to create your profile right now. I'm just checking out the schematics of this steel whirly bird." replied Chuck. "Hey its either I do this or I talk to you." he added.

Casey pauses for a moment as he glances at Chuck. "Don't break it or you're going to have to pay the damages idiot." grunted Casey. "And try to not to blow us up."

_Trust me that's the last ting I want to do Casey._ Chuck briefly looked at the computer set in front of him and in that moment he knew that he should be careful because Severs may have set a possible booby trap. A booby trap in which if he types in something wrong or clicks on any particular file that may not belong there are both royally screwed because his curiosity got the better of him.

Chuck takes a deep breathe, cracks his knuckles, and then begins typing away when he suddenly finds himself being denied access. It doesn't stop him though as finds a back door into the computer and beings flipping through the files concerning the Airwolf like Bell 222 twin-engine helicopter. As he is sifting through the encrypted data he begins to find the information in the computer very intriguing.

"Oh man."

"What did you do?"

Chuck turns to look at a very annoyed look on Casey's face. "I didn't do anything." replied Chuck. "I found something interesting while I was sifting through the data."

"Due tell Bartowski."

"Apparently, Severs didn't tamper with the onboard mini computer system or the with the copter itself for that matter. If he had bother to check after setting the coordinates into the GPS system and leaving the tape recorder, he would have found that Jensen must have been a real Airwolf fan because he had the copter built with defense capabilities."

"Just tell me if we can shoot back if we're fire upon Chuck."

"No."

"You're just full of good news aren't you."

"Listen Casey…" Chuck continues to punch away at the on mini onboard computer system." "…this whirly bird may not have 30 mm chain guns, 40mm cannons, or missiles galore but it does however have capacity to defend against them.

"Give me a rundown Bartowksi."

"As you wish." The curly haired business owner goes down the list of the defense capabilities of the copter." From what I'm reading here this copter has sunburst anti-missile flares, chaff anti-missile decoys, a bullet-proof armored fuselage, early warning radar and turbo thrusters."

Chuck activities the early warning radar and as he does Casey slaps him in the left arm to get his attention. "How fast can it go?"

"It says here Mach 1."

A hint of a smirk appears on Casey's face upon hearing that bit of information. He wants to test out the speed of the copter but he restrains himself from doing so because they are in the middle of a situation and their course of direction shouldn't be deviated. As much as he wanted to hear that they have weaponry in case of a firefight they at least have some kind of defense from a possible attack.

30 minutes pass by when the two men find themselves in what seemingly isolated area that is surrounded by mountains and desert. Its at this point, Chuck begins to recognize the scenery. "I know where we are."

"Spill it Bartowksi."

"I remember our parents taking me and Ellie here when we were little kids." Chuck turns to see Casey glaring at him once again. "We're in San Gorgonio Pass and if I'm not mistaken the wind farms should be somewhere in this area."

As Chuck says that, the early warning radar system goes off leading Chuck to immediately check the computer as to what set off the radar. After a few minutes, he turns to Casey with a questionable look on his face. "What? What is it?" responded Casey furrowing his eyebrows.

"Something is approaching directly towards us."

"Airplane…helicopter?"

"I don't know but according to the computer it will be in visual range in a few minutes."

The two men are on high alert as they keep a watchful eye for any sign of what is vastly approaching towards them. After a few minutes Casey spots what set off the radar alarm earlier and from the look on his face he's know what they are up against. "I know what it is."

"You do?" responds Chuck. "What it is?"

"It's a predator drone." firmly stated Casey turning to look at Chuck sitting to his right.

XXX

_**NOTE: HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS CHAPTER. CHUCK AND CASEY MAY HAVE THEIR TOUGHTEST CHALLENGE TO FACE YET IN THE FORM OF A PREDATOR DRONE. PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK.**_


	14. The Danger Zone

**Castle - Tuesday 1:07 p.m.**

Sarah stood there in stunned silence in front of Castle's main computer as she heard Casey utter the words predator drone. For the past 30 minutes she sat listening to Chuck and Casey conversations in order to get some idea how they are doing, which for the most part they sounded good despite all they have been through. To hear Chuck's voice while in the midst of a dangerous situation caused her to worry even more.

As much as she wanted to contact him and tell him everything is going to be okay she knew she couldn't. It would tip off Severs who would not only put Chuck and Casey in further danger, but the location of Castle could very well be compromised. She would have to just sit back and listen to the action that is about to commence hoping her partner is able to get the two of them out in one piece.

The blonde agent put her trust in him so many times in the past and she wouldn't stop now, especially with her fiancé sitting by his side. Casey has been the quintessential older brother and always been looking out for her even if she didn't know it. She would always be eternally grateful to him for nudging in his own way her to go with her heart instead of the job and what protocol stated.

For so long, the job was the most important thing in her life and she would immerse herself in it but now she's immersing herself in the one thing she truly has that is now real in her life…love. She has come this far to not lose Chuck now after he has given her a whole new perspective on life and relationships. In addition to that, he was solely responsible for bringing back the person who she tried running from for so long.

She never would have imagined reconciling her past in regards to her sister Cassidy and her father Jeremiah Wexler if it hadn't been for the unwavering support of the man she loves. The old Sarah would have completely avoided a face to face meeting with either of them because every conversation usually ended up the same way with a war of words being exchanged back and forth.

However, things have changed as she, her sister, and her father are now on good terms so much so they have become closer like never before. Sarah always counted on Chuck to be there for her and would try his very best to protect her even though 9 times out of 10 it would end up her saving him. True, he would be absolutely foolish for doing so but that is what makes him who he is.

Sarah knew she couldn't be able to physically be there to help them him but she could most certainly help them in another capacity. Other than Chuck, her former partner and roommate of Chuck would be of great help for this situation being that he and Bryce did their fair share of hacking while in college. Her intentions became very clear focusing all her attention in finding out what type of predator drone they are dealing with.

"General, do we have any idea what the predator drone looks like?" Sarah quickly inquired.

Sarah and Bryce watch as Beckman brings up real time satellite imaging. All three watch as the satellite searches the drone in question. The seconds feel like hours to Sarah as she silently encourages the satellite to go faster but to no avail. After several moments, the image of Chuck and Casey's copter eventually appears and then it immediately searches for the predator drone in question.

It takes several seconds but it finds the drone and when it does a still picture is taken. Its at the point, Sarah quickly moves forward typing away at the computer as she captures the drone image initiating a search within the data base of all possible unmanned predators drones that the military, as well as all government agencies have. Sarah, Bryce, and Beckman watch intently as the computer vigorously searches inevitably locating the type of drone being used.

Seconds go by as the computer quickly runs through images of drones. As that happens, Sarah stands wither her arms crossed continuing to silently encourage the computer to find the exact type of drone that Severs sent to do away the helicopter Chuck and Casey are currently in. Suddenly, all 3 hear the sound of the computer finding a possible match leading Bryce to say out loud what the two men in the air are dealing with.

"It's an MQ-9 Reaper." he responded. Bryce immediately goes over to his computer that he was previously using in order to google information concerning the reaper. When he get the information a look of concern appears on his face. "This isn't good."

Bryce's response to the information deeply concerns Sarah causing her to move over to his location to see what he found out. "What did you find?"

"Do you want the bad news or the good news?" Bryce responded looking directly at her.

Sarah shoots a glaring look at her former partner. "I don't have time for this just tell me."

"Okay. Well, according to this, The MQ-9 is the first hunter-killer UAV designed for long-endurance, high-altitude surveillance. It's far more powerful than any other predator drone used." Bryce added

"How powerful" inquired Sarah?"

Bryce quickly glances at Sarah and points at the screen. "It has Mach 1 capabilities, a payload of 3,000 lbs, AN/APY-8 Lynx II radar, AN/DAS-1 MTS-B Multi-Spectral Targeting System, and due to the sheer size of the drone it has the capacity to carry 15 times more ordnances, which means its capable of holding 7 hellfire missiles." replied Bryce.

"Without missiles of their own Chuck and Casey don't have a chance." Sarah stated out loud. "Severs never intended for them to make it to the next location."

"Severs has them pretty much dead to rights."

"No he doesn't." Sarah emphatically stated.

"What do you have in mind Agent Walker?" inquires Beckman.

"It's a longshot but it involves Bryce." she answered looking at her former partner.

"What do you want me do?"

Sarah exudes a look of absolute seriousness as she looks down directly at Bryce. "I want you to hack into the drone and take control of it."

XXX

**Helicopter 5,000ft In The Air - Tuesday 1:10 p.m.**

"This isn't good." said Chuck looking straight at the drone in the distance.

"Ya think Bartowski?"

Casey immediately knew that without any firepower the two of them would be instantly blown to kingdom come. The odd have been stacked against them from the get go but somehow they were able to escape somewhat unscathed. The NSA agent refused to accept that fate imposed upon them by a man who doesn't have the balls to kill them face to face like his two previous associates attempted to do but failed.

_Coward plain and simple._ Casey has encountered many enemies during his time not only as member of the special forces in the Marines, but also as an agent for the NSA and none of them have ever taken a child or children for that matter hostage. To him, it's a cowardly act that is totally unforgivable in his book and as a soldier there is no honor in what he has done.

When he and Chuck stood in the parking lot of Subway and heard the voice of Travis' oldest daughter Leah on the phone his blood boiled. In any case, it took everything in his power not to punch the driver's side window of his crown vic. As a father who has a daughter of his own, he would most definitely move heaven and earth taking no prisoners in order to get Alex back.

Unfortunately, she would never find out that her father is alive and he wanted it to stay that way for not only her sake, but her mother's as well. It was a difficult decision to make but he made it but that doesn't mean he wouldn't keep a watchful eye over her. Casey's thoughts concerning his own daughter inevitably switched back to the situation at hand that he and Chuck are in.

There was no turning back now as they were about to enter the danger zone engaging in a one sided battle with absolutely no chance of survival for him or Chuck. However, he knew that in order to get out this he needed the help of one person who always annoyed him to end and he was sitting next right next to him. Casey needed to rely on Chuck as he has always relied in him.

"Casey if we don't make it out alive…"

Casey immediately cuts him off. "Save it Chuck." he barked. "We're going to get out of this."

"How? Unless this helicopter is actually a Transformer then we're both out of luck." he quickly spitted out.

Casey reaches over and grabs Chuck pulling him in closer. "Listen up and I'm not going to repeat myself. You need to calm yourself down because the last thing I need is for you to do is freak out."

"Too late." quickly replied Chuck.

Chuck could see the absolute intensity emanating from Casey's eyes. It's a look that has told him time and time again to trust him even it meant threatening him with bodily harm. His tactics were always straight and to the point in order to get through to him he thinks to himself. To him, that has always been the relationship between he and Casey ever since being properly introduced to each other on top of the helipad 3 and half years ago.

In his mind, Casey saw him as more of a nuisance and was obligated, not by his own choice mind you, to protect an ordinary man who just so happens to the governments most important asset when it comes to providing intel. However, for him its not so much seen as protection but rather as babysitting someone who needs one of those leashes that you strap on a small child.

In a way, the interaction between them is like Ralph Kramden and Ed Norton from the classic television show The Honeymooners. There have been countless time in the past that he has wanted him to be banged zoomed to the moon because of saying or doing something that merited a Casey grunt or stare. He has called him an idiot and moron more times he can count, which he has gotten used to.

He not only continues to exude the cold school gruff exterior that has but he always has a knack appearing out of nowhere causing him to nearly jump out of his skin. Its who is and that will never change. Chuck tended have some kind of inclination as to what the NSA agent was going to say to him in a situation like this whenever he's freaking out but he never expected to hear the words that were about to come out of his mouth.

"I need your help?" Casey pauses as he takes a quick second to briefly look down. "I can't do this alone."

_Did he just say what I think he said?_ A look of stunned disbelief appears on not only his face, but the faces of Sarah and Bryce's face as well who are listening closely to the conversation between the two of them. For Sarah, it shows that the man who has always considered himself a loner and did things his way actually admitted out loud to someone he needs help is a step towards a change for the better. Yet, for Bryce who is sitting at his computer, it proves to him that he is human after all and he's not some type of emotionless robot. The stunned disbelief lasted momentarily as the two of them continued to listen on.

"I'm sorry did you just ask for my help?" asked Chuck.

"I'm not going to repeat myself Bartowski." Casey releases the grip he has on Chuck's shirt. "You heard what you heard. So what you're answer?"

Chuck pauses for a minute in order to take it all in. He then takes a deep breathe and then gives a quick nod. "You are not alone buddy." responded Chuck who puts his left on Casey's right shoulder.

In typical Casey fashion, he gives off a threatening grunt causing Chuck to quickly remove it from his shoulder. "So what do you need me to do buddy."

"Man the computer boy genius because you're going to be busy." stated the determined NSA agent.

XXX

**Castle - Tuesday 1:15 p.m.**

Bryce sat at his computer steadily typing away in order to hack into the predator drone and take control of it. So far it has been a challenge for him to get past all the firewalls that are blocking his way because when he gets past one another tends to pop up. However, as frustrating it may seem he's not giving up not one iota because there are two men that are counting him even if they don't know it.

_You're a bit rusty Larkin. _For him, it has been a while since he has been able to do this sort of thing since becoming a spy. The computer hacking skills tended to took a back seat to the training he received at "The Farm". True, it came in handy every now and then as he's done his fair share of hacking into computers to get vital information but to attempt something this full scale is considered the biggest challenge he has ever faced.

There was a time he could do this in his sleep especially with his former roommate and best friend by his side. Best friend. For him, those two words used to mean something and were considered important when it comes to the matter of friendship. A friendship that was filled with inside jokes that nobody would be able to understand, video games, movies, and road trips to places like Comic-Con.

Before joining the C.I.A. during his junior of college, the friendship between he, Chuck, and Jill was absolutely solid as they formed a strong bond but not the type of bond Jill and Chuck shared. Granted, he would end up becoming the third wheel when Jill and Chuck established a relationship but unlike other friends who can't take a hint he was able to. He would make himself scarce and find other ways to occupy himself, which was no problem for him being that he was able to scare up a date in instant.

He remembers the all nighters he and Chuck pulled to create an updated version of the computer game Zork they used to play as kids. The excitement both of them had as they planned for the future in which they would be co-owners of a computer software/gaming company. It would be only natural for him to be the spokesmen of the two since he exuded the charisma and charm to capture people's attention. In other words, he would be the face of the company.

Chuck, on the other hand, would without a doubt be the brains of the operations since he is knowledgeable and well skilled in all aspects of the technological side of things. Bryce honestly thought that with his charm and Chuck's intelligence they would be an unstoppable team that would take the computer software gaming industry by storm. However, in order to be the juggernaut they would become they needed a name for their fledgling company.

The name of the company itself would be a source of contention with the two of them at odds on what it should be called. There were several possible names that were thought up and for the most part they usually involved references to Star Wars such as Millennium Enterprises and Padawan Technologies. The two ended up agreeing to combine their names to settle the dispute coming up with CHYCE, Inc.

Their dreams of a future filled with fame and future would ultimately not come to fruition and so would their long lasting friendship. He would forever in the annuals of history be the proverbial bad guy for kicking the only true friend he ever made. Yet, when it comes to the spy business you have no friends as they're just seen as simple tools who you're able to use in order to complete a mission.

As cold and harsh as it sounds that the nature of the game. He remembers being told at "The Farm" that every time you're sent on a mission and you step on foreign soil you're subsequently stepping one giant chess board. Every person you meet is considered a pawn that will help you move closer and closer to your intended of objective. It's just a matter of the mark making the wrong move without him or her knowing about it.

Bryce never in a million years thought Chuck would be one of chess pieces unknowingly placed on the board by the C.I.A. As his best friend, he did the only thing he could to do keep him out of the game and that was to frame him for cheating. Unfortunately, as fate would have it he would end up putting him right smack dab in the middle of the game when he sent him the intersect.

Now because of what of he did his best friend could end up blown up. Bryce shook his head at thought as he quickly glances at Sarah who is still standing in front of Castle's main computer listening to the ensuing chaos that is going on. His attention returns back to his computer screen as a look of absolute seriousness appears on his face as he is determined to save someone who he not only greatly respects but admires as well . He has the chance to make amends for the past starting with getting past the firewalls and taking control of the predator drone. _I'm not going to let you down again buddy._

XXX

**Helicopter - Tuesday 1:20 p.m.**

"Bartowski when I say the word fire sunbursts!" barked Casey.

Chuck quickly nods in agreement. "Gotcha!" replied Chuck.

For the last 10 minutes or so Casey has been doing his best maneuvering left and right to avoid being hit by rapid gunfire. Even the though the copter is fortified with bullet proof armor he doesn't know whether the ammo that's being shot at them are armor piercing rounds. He has taken precautionary measures by having Chuck at the ready when the predator drone fires its missiles.

There are have been several close calls as a couple bullets were able to pierce certain areas of the helicopter. Thankfully, the shots didn't hit anything significant that would cause any serious damage to the point where it would catch fire or have it smoke out. For the most part, Chuck has been able to be Casey's eyes and he's doing an excellent job at keeping them in once piece.

From the looks of things, the distance between the drone and their helicopter is several yards apart. The drone is able keep up with the copter ever step of the way pulling off such moves as the scissors, the vertical scissors, the rollaway, the low yo yo, the high yo yo, and the break. Casey has been impressed at whoever is control of it because there were certain maneuvers he pulled off that were able to be countered.

Casey is putting all his expertise as a skilled pilot to use. Granted, his home is behind the stick of a fighter jet but he's treating it the same as he sits behind the computer so much he performed a barrel roll to avoid being hit by the first barrage of gunfire. It happened so quick that it nearly caused Chuck to puke from the sheer force of it but he restrained himself from doing so.

There would be no time to be amused and have a laugh on Chuck's expense. Not this time Casey thinks to himself. For the most part he's heard at least 2 girlish screams coming from him and he expects more to be heard. However, Chuck has been able to keep up him every step of the way and hasn't back down not one bit despite how scared he is, which he respects him for.

To Casey, putting the responsibility of their safety on Chuck's shoulder isn't something he would normally do but there was no other alternative. To be honest, the NSA agent wouldn't even give him the responsibility to take care of his bonsai tree be his wing man in a one sided battle in the sky. Yet, he has to trust him to be precise when he barks out a command because if doesn't do it at that exact moment they're royally screwed.

As Casey continues to maneuver the copter from another barrage of rapid gunfire Chuck is sitting by his side nervously waiting for an order to fire a sunburst. He sits glued to the screen as he feels the pressure mounting as the chase begins to intensity. Chuck can't help but feel as if he's in the movie Top Gun and instead of being in an F14 Tomcat their in a Bell 222 helicopter.

In that moment, his mind begins to drift to the point where he started hearing the main theme song to the movie sung by Kenny Loggin running through his head. He then began to imagine Casey as Maverick and himself as his co-pilot Merlin. He would have chosen Goose but he died early in the movie and he didn't want the same thing happen to him in regards to the situation they were currently in.

Chuck's thoughts were suddenly interrupted when the radar system sounds off causing Casey to scream out. "Fire sunbursts!" he ordered.

It took a nanosecond for Chuck to quickly fire a couple sunburst rounds. From the computer screen he is able to track the trajectory of both the missile fired and the sunburst that was just fired. After a few seconds, the missile that was fired comes in contact the sunburst round and the impact is not only heard but is felt as the impact of the blast shakes the copter a bit.

"That was close." responded Casey looking back at the fireball behind them

Chuck turns back around facing the computer after looking back at the fireball as well. "That's about 3 missiles down Casey that have been fired." responded Chuck. "From the looks of things there are a limited amounted of sunburst rounds left." he added.

"We just have to be smart and use them sparingly." suggested Casey.

Once again Chuck nodded in agreement as he acknowledged what Casey said. He sole responsibility is to man the computer and leave everything else in Casey's capable hands. Granted, it could have been done without the barrel roll the first time that a missile was fired at them but at least they were able to survive it. To him, he just has to keep his wits about thing and focus all his attention on firing the defenses that have kept them alive thus far.

Chuck once again slammed against the right side of the copter hitting the door to his right as Casey avoids another barrage of bullets directed at them. His left shoulder has most certainly gotten to know his side of the door and if they are able to make it out alive he's going to need an ice pack because it going to be pretty banged up, as well as bruised. However, it won't hamper him from working the onboard computer system whatsoever.

He is alerted once again by the computer that another missile has just been fire causing him to quickly punch in the keys to fire two sunbursts before Casey says a word. This time the impact of the blast is significant closer shaking the entire copter to the point where there is a just brief momentary loss of power. The loss of power causes the copter to drop several feet thousand feet in the air but Casey is able to somehow get back power in time. As they do they find themselves near the area of the San Gorgonio Wind Farm.

Casey doesn't have time to celebrate because once again he hears the computer go off and sees Chuck jumping all over it. However, instead of giving Casey a look of acknowledgement of successfully firing off a sunburst round he sees him shaking his head. "What's wrong?"

"It won't fire?

"What!"

"That last blast may have knocked out the sunburst out of commission." Chuck looks back to see the missile fired by the drone tailing closely behind. He turns back looking straight at Casey. "What do we do?"

"Initiate thrusters and hold on to your ass Bartowski." he firmly stated heading towards the huge propellers rotating below.

XXX

_**NOTE: HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS CHAPTER! AS USUAL PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT!**_


	15. I Have A Plan

**Helicopter in San Gorgonio Pass - Tuesday 1:30 p.m.**

Chuck doesn't waste any time as he quickly punches the keys on the keyboard initiating the thrusters to the copter. As soon as he does, he suddenly feels the sheer force of the thrusters causing the momentum of his upper buddy to press back against his seat. His eyes widen as the copter makes a fast downward descent towards the dusty open terrain that holds the rotating wind farms.

Its been quite literally a rollercoaster ride from not only him, but for Casey as well. However, unlike The Riddler's Revenge and Superman at Six Flag's Magic Mountain, he wouldn't recommend paying to get on this particular ride the two of them are on. There have been more downs than there have been ups since the two of them were forced to play Severs' sick and twisted game he thinks to himself.

His thoughts of Elliot Severs are momentarily set aside as he turns his head slightly to see Casey with his head leaned forward a bit, eyebrow furrowed, jaw clenched, gritting his teeth as has both arms locked in a straight position holding the control stick tightly in both hands. Chuck can clearly see beads of sweat roll down the right side of the NSA Agent forehead as he attempts to outrun a missile that is currently right on their ass.

It wasn't just the beads of sweat that are rolling down the side of face he noticed that concerned him. He also noticed the veins in not only his neck protruding out as if they are about to pop, but in his forehead as well. He knows the situation doesn't bode well when he can see the pressure getting to a man that has stayed fairly calm throughout the previous attempts on their lives.

Truth be told if it wasn't for the calm demeanor that he has exuded both in the car and in the elevator they would be able to make it to this particular point, which is growing increasingly tense by the minute. His attention immediately turns from him to the onboard computer systems in front of him that is continuing to sound off as it shows the missile in the form of a blinking red dot slowly but surely closing the gap towards its intended target…them.

"Faster Casey. Must go faster!" screamed Chuck. "Its getting closer!"

"Its already going as fast it possibly can moron!" grunted Casey. "Here's an idea why don't you fly outside and push?"

_If it were only possible big guy_. What he wouldn't give to attain the powers of Superman in order to fly outside in order to stop the missile completely with his bare hands and ultimately throw into deep space like a discuss or simply use heat vision to cause it to explode. Unfortunately, they were dealing with something very real and not something based on fantasy much to his chagrin.

"Forgot my cape and tights at home." he quickly replied back with a considerable wry, nervous smile.

Casey immediately sounds off a clearly audible grunt 12...not now Bartowski. Chuck knew it wasn't the best idea at that very moment to not get on Casey's bad side at the moment, especially since he is busy flying the copter. He couldn't help it stating the obvious because whenever he gets nervous or freaked out he tends to verbalize what his feelings and emotions concerning the situation at hand.

As this is happening, Bryce is continuing his efforts in breaking through the firewall that has been strategically set up. Its was difficult in the beginning but he's been able to settle into somewhat of a groove. Yet, judging by the intense focus in his eyes he has been able to get past several of the firewalls and security setups by going through the back door of the system.

"How is it going Bryce?" inquired Sarah with concern.

"I'm almost there!" he responded. "I can feel it!" he added

_Who does he think he is Luke Skywalker?_ Sarah couldn't believe what she just heard as Bryce told her his possible takeover of the predator drone on a mere feeling. There have been stupid things he has said in the past several hours but that has to be the most stupidest she thinks to himself. The blue eyed agent wanted nothing more than to slap Bryce upside the back of his head but she restrained herself from doing so.

She knew it was hard on him and she really didn't care at this point. If she pissed him off then so be it because in her mind it would cause him to work just as hard to quickly get where Bryce needed to be. She would have to pour on the demands until she got the results we wanted no matter how many times she would have to keep repeating it to him to the point of actually losing her voice.

"I don't need you feeling it. Work on getting control of that predator drone now!" she emphatically stated.

"I'm trying!"

"Try harder!" she shouted.

_What do you think I'm been doing?_ I would like to see you try to hack into a military predator drone and see how difficult it is while I stand over you he thinks to himself. It is what he would have said to her but the mood she is right now he didn't want to run the risk of getting shot in the family jewels. For Bryce, its difficult to concentrate with Sarah hovering over his shoulder and barking orders at him. The more he continued to type away the more he heard her behind him to the point where he had enough of it.

"Listen!" Bryce quickly glances back up at Sarah who has now biting her fingernails. "I can't concentrate with you watching me like a hawk behind me. I need you to shut up, give me some elbow room, and let me do my thing. "

_Nice going Bryce._ What a way to smooth things over with your former partner by telling her to shut up he thinks to himself. Bryce didn't even turn to look at Sarah after what he said. If he had, he would have seen her staring a hole right through his head with the look she is giving him. He expected some sort of retaliation to be given by her but instead he hears her walk off giving him to give a quick exhale of relief.

Bryce continues to punch away at the key not making eye contact whatsoever with Sarah. As Bryce does his best not to get beat up or shot, Casey is doing his best to keep the downward descent as straight as possible. The additional speed is part of his plan and hopefully it will work out. From his point of view, Chuck can see the ground vastly approaching and is glancing back and forth from the ground to Casey who doesn't show any sign that he is going to pull up any time soon. Chuck can clearly see the altimeter dwindling down from 3000 to 2000 feet in a matter of seconds causing every part of his body to tense up. "Casey, shouldn't you be…" hollered chuck.

Casey immediately interjects. "Not now Bartowski!" Upon hearing that, Chuck braces himself as he looks to the altimeter once again. It reads 1,000 feet and its at this point he's makes the decision to close his eyes but doesn't do so because he suddenly hears Casey's booming voice. "Chuck, when I give you the word shut off the thrusters!" he barked.

"Are you sure about this?" questioned Chuck?

"Just do what I tell you!" he screamed back.

The tall, lanky business owner nods in acknowledgement as he slowly reaches over in order to ready himself at the computer. He punches a few keys bringing up the thrusters on the small onboard computer screen, which is currently engaged. With both hands resting on either side of the keyboard, he places his quivering thumb over the enter button in order to disengage the thrusters.

He can feel not only his heart pounding in his chest as he wait's the word from Casey, but he can actually hear his heart ringing loudly in his ears as well. His pulse racing a million miles a minute at this point as all his focus is directed at the onboard computer and nothing else. Of all the adrenaline rush type situations he has been in the past 3 and half years this particular one ranks number 1 on the top of his list.

"Wait for it!" hollered Casey once again. Chuck can see the ground dessert terrain increasingly grow closer by the second. He quickly glances over to look at the altimeter as it now reads 900 feet. He feels the fast downward descent and every fiber in his being tells him to let out the loudest girlish scream he could muster but instead he closes his eyes because he doesn't want to see them crashing to the ground.

The extreme intensity of the situation of the fast downward descent towards the ground along with a missile on their tail combined with Casey screaming in his ear causes him to scream as well as he braces himself for what is about to happen. He suddenly hears Casey's booming voice in his headset screaming at him to press the button, which he immediately does.

"Hold on to your ass!" Casey screamed once again.

XXX

**Helicopter - Tuesday 1:45 p.m.**

Chuck braces himself by pressing himself further back into his seat, slams both hands on top of the roof of the copter, locks his legs in a straight position planting his feet on the floorboard and lowers his head with his eyes still closed. Both men holler out as Casey immediately pulls back on the stick with all his might and is able just barely level off as the missile explodes behind them. The impact of the blast rocks the copter and the occupants inside.

The two men are momentarily jolted by from the impact of the blast. Casey quickly recovers gripping the control stick even tighter and levels off the copter. Chuck, on the other hand, slowly recovers and finds that he is still in one piece causing him to throws his hand up thanking the big man up stairs that he is still in one piece. He immediately turns his head to look at Casey patting him on his right shoulder with his left hand.

"You're the man!" he exhales with a hint of smile on his face.

He had to give Casey his props for pulling that risky maneuver knowing it could have gone wrong. He would most definitely buy him some double stuffed Oreo cookies or at least buy him the box set of 11 seasons of Law & Order: SVU. However, knowing Casey he's a man with a very particular taste as he would much rather have a box of cigars and a bottle of whisky to drink.

"Don't celebrate just yet Bartowski!" quickly replied Casey who glances back to his left. "That predator drone is still out there remember." he addd.

As soon as he says that, a barrage of bullets rains down on them causing Casey to employ evasive maneuvers by breaking hard right. Another barrage of bullets rain down once again leading the experienced pilot to break hard left but as he does so several bullet holes hit the right side of the copter's wing. Chuck turns back to see that the damage is minimal but as he does he sees the predator drone appear.

"It's behind us Casey!" hollered chuck pointing behind them.

_Way to state the obvious idiot._ As much as he's annoyed by Chuck at the moment, his focus is putting his plan into action that came to him before he make the steep downward descent. The situation has already went from bad to worse with the sunbursts being taken out. It has now gone to critical and in Casey's mind there is absolutely no room for error at this point and time.

He turns to give a quick side glance over to Chuck. "Are the thrusters still operational?" he spits. There is no response from Chuck as he's currently pressed against the glass like a stuffed Garfield with suction cups on his hands. Casey reaches over with his and slaps the back of Chuck's head.

"What was that for?" asked Chuck holding the back of his head.

"Check the thrusters moron!"

"What's the magic word?"

"Do it now or I'll kill you with my headset." threatened Casey,

"Not what I was looking for but…"

Chuck doesn't finish his sentence as he sees Casey glare at him. He quickly gets on the computer quickly checking the status of the thrusters. What he finds is that its functioning. "Its good to go!" he responds as more rounds are being fired at them.

"Hit it!"

After typing the sequence in, the thrusters are once again operational. They're momentum is thrown back from the sheer force of the speed. "What do we do now since the sunbursts have been knocked out of commission?" asked a deeply concerned Chuck.

"I have a plan!"

XXX

**Helicopter in San Gorgonio Pass - Tuesday 1:50 p.m.**

"What is it?" replied Chuck who is continuing to look behind them.

"Just sit there and hold on to something because its about to get…tricky."

A look of confusion appears as he hears the word tricky? The way he said it deeply troubled Chuck. For one thing Casey paused before even saying the word and the duration of the pause caused him to question how tricky the plan is. Granted, he has never doubted any of Casey's plans but when it involves both of them and they're in a copter he hopes its not anything crazy, which flew out the window the minute they got into the copter.

Chuck knows firsthand how crazy Casey truly is when he's behind the stick of a plane. There have been plenty of times where they were on the Bird of Prey and he pulled off maneuvers that were seemingly unimaginable that could only be done in a plane the size of a fighter jet. Yet, knowing Casey for a better part of 3 and half years he has the mindset that if it has wings he can not only fly it, but make it do whatever he wanted.

He immediately turns around to look at Casey in order for him to elaborate but when he does his attention is suddenly focused on the giant rotating blades they are heading towards. Chuck's eyes go completely wide as he glances back and forth from the giant rotating blades to Casey who is hell bent on doing something absolutely crazy, especially when it involves being in the air.

"Oh no you're not!" he responded shaking his head.

"Oh yes I am!" Casey he firmly stated expressed a smirk on his face.

Casey makes his intentions known and gives it everything he's got. At this point, Chuck is incapable of stopping him because once he has an idea in his head he sticks to it no matter what. As they head towards the row of rotating blades the predator drone continues the barrage of bullets firing towards them but no missiles have been fired as of yet.

From Chuck's calculations there have been 4 missiles that have been fired leaving 3 missiles left. On one hand the thought of the number of missiles dwindling down is a good thing but the bad thing about it is that Severs will quite possibly fire all 3 in order to put the two of them out of their misery. He didn't want to think about that and he wouldn't have much time to think at all as they approached the rotating blades.

The Bell 222 helicopter with mach 1 capabilities streaks past and in between the first row of wind turbines narrowly having the back end of the copter sliced off. It's a close call but like them the predator drone is able to make it though as well streaking past the two rotating blades. The chase continues on as Casey begins threading the needles as he maneuvers his way tightly around the large columns that hold each blade.

The predator drone doesn't show any signs that its not going to let up as it stays behind the copter every step of the way matching every possible turn that Colonel Casey performs. As Chuck is sitting there, holding on for dear life he can't help but feel like they're in the speeder bike chase scene in Return of the JedI where Luke and Leia are chasing after a couple of storm troopers after Han failed to sneak up on one of them.

The chase ensues and now instead of wooden trees to contend with they're up against rotating blades and metal girders. However, the roles have been reversed as he and Casey are in the roles of Luke and Leia being chased by a relentless storm trooper predator drone controlled by Severs' people or possibly Severs himself. It's not going to take a lightsaber or the power of the force to get out of this situation he thinks to himself.

As much fun as it continues to be for him to watch that scene over and over again being the Star Wars nerd he is, he's experiencing it as we speak and its no fun at all. It doesn't get any better as the onboard computer systems sounds off once again as it shows 2 missiles have been fire and locked on to them. Casey continues his effort by ducking and weaving trough the metal pillars narrowly avoid being sliced in half by the giant rotating blades.

He's cutting it very close but it's a risk he's willing to take. Its at this point, Casey heads straight for one particular rotating blade that is spinning fast than the rest. He has to time it just right or they're going to end up cut into a million pieces. "Chuck, when I say the word, shut off the thrusters!" he screamed.

"Again?" Chuck screamed back.

"Just do it!"

Chuck reaches over and quickly types away at the computer. After a few seconds he turns to Casey. "Ready!"

The tension can be cut with a knife as the only thing that is heard in the cabin of the copter is heavy breathing between the two men. Chuck frantically glances back and for the from the spinning rotating blades ahead to Casey who is exuding a snarling look on his face. Just as they are about to approach the fast rotating blade everything seems to go into slow motion mode.

He slowly turns his head to sees Casey slowly mouth the words push the button leading him to do just that. Chuck holds his breathe as the nose of the copter just barely clears the first rotating blade but they're not out of the woods yet as he slowly turns his head to look to his left and sees the next on coming blade. He doesn't take his eyes off it not one bit and as they miraculously make it past it but just barely.

Chuck presses his face against the side window to see the two missiles that are currently on their tail hit the rotating blade and explode on contact. The explosion sends pieces of the gigantic blade flying in all directions causing Casey to immediately breaking hard right in order to avoid being hit by the pieces of the blade that would most certainly cause damage to the façade of the copter.

The copter shoots out of the sea of rotating blades and into the open desert area. The thrusters are initiated once again. Chuck and Casey don't have any time to celebrate as they know the predator drone is still out there. "Where is it?" Casey hollered looking around.

Seemingly on cue, they are assaulted by another barrage of bullets. Both men know the gravity of situation is going to reach its climax soon and its either the predator drone of them who are going to be standing tall in the end. As Casey does his best to outfly the drone, Bryce is like a man possessed as she types out away on the keyboard with all his focus directed towards the screen in front of him.

"Sarah!" he screamed. Sarah rushes over to Bryce's side. "I've got it!"

Sarah immediately looks at the screen to see not only live video feed images coming from the predator drone itself, but the last missile locked on to them and then suddenly fired at them.

Her eyes completely go wide. "Bryce, stop that missile" Sarah emphatically stated. "Shut it down, destroy it, do whatever you can to take it down now!"

"I'm on it!" he quickly replied. "Don't worry guys I have your back!" he muttered to himself under his breath.

XXX

**Castle - Tuesday 2:00 p.m.**

Bryce is now in complete control of the predator drone and immediately targets the missile firing a barrage of bullets at it. His efforts are for the most part unsuccessful in taking the missile down that way as he's causing more harm to the guys than to the deadly projectile itself. If he is unable to shoot it down then he has to find another alternative or the two of them will be goners.

Plan B he thinsk to himself. Plan B is to detonate it and all he has to is find the exact frequency of it. Its going to be tough he thinks but he has to do it in order for him to save Chuck and Casey he thinks to himself. Bryce has to get through several subroutines, 3 to be exact, that he has to get past into order to the one place he needs to ultimately be in, which is the WGU or the Weapons Guidance Unit.

The pressure he's feeling is overwhelming to the point where he feels the sweat dripping down both sides of his face. His eyes have been strained from continually looking at the screen for hours on end and his fingers are severely cramped from punching away at the keys on the keyboard. Yet, he doesn't stop knowing that if they die Sarah would never forgive him.

Speaking of Sarah, she has planted herself right behind Bryce and doesn't plan on moving any time soon. She restrained herself from shooting him in the head or in the leg for that matter. At the very least slapping a round house kick to the head would normally make her feel better after being told to shut up but these most definitely aren't normal circumstances.

As she stands there, her focus is not only on the live images in front of her, but the on the voice of Casey and Chuck as they talk back to one other. Its hard for her to keep her professionalism in tact when there is all out chaos being heard from those headsets. So much is running through mind at that point that its impossible for her to even think straight.

"Bryce!" yellrf Sarah. "They're running out of time! It's now or never!"

"I'm working as fast as I can Sarah." he quickly responded back. "A few more seconds!."

After saying that, he immediately locates the WGU or Weapons Guidance Unit where the high powered transmitter-receiver is giving off a signal from the datalink antenna. It takes a while but he is able to get in. He frantically searches through the list of commands embedded with the mainframe and finally sees what is he's been looking for, which is the self destruct sequence.

Not time is wasted as he punches a few keys and after a few seconds the missile is detonated. A bright white flash appears on the screen causing him to throw his hands in the air and spin around in the chair he's sitting on. The celebration is unfortunately short lived on his part when he looks at Sarah who is not celebrating at all as her eyes are intently focused on the screen in front of her. When he looks back at the screen, the back part of the copter is engulfed in not only smoke but fire as well due to the explosion that Bryce caused. His efforts in saving them many now have cost them their lives.

XXX

_**NOTE: HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS PARTICULAR CHAPTER. I PROMISE TO GET A NEW ONE OUT ASAP. AS USUAL PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT.**_


	16. Believe

**Helicopter in San Gorgonio Pass - Tuesday 2:01 p.m.**

An alarm sounds off within the cabin of the copter leading both men to immediately look at onboard computer system as it shows the schematics of the plane. The back part of the section is repeatedly blinking red and a warning message showing on the computer screen. Chuck turns back pressing his face against the window and sees the tail end of the copter not only smoking, but on fire.

"Casey, we're on fire!" hollered Chuck.

_Way to state the obvious genius!_ The tailed end copter wasn't just on fire and being an experienced aviator he knew that the rotating blades are possibly damaged or out of commission judging by how he's been fighting to keep it stable. He doesn't want to alarm Chuck any further than he has to because Lord knows he doesn't want him freaking out even more than he has already.

The wily veteran does his best to keep the copter together all-the-while showing an ere of considerable calmness on his face. As he's doing this, he's formulating in his head the best alternatives to get them safely on the ground without severely hurting themselves in the process. He has to think of something quick because its not going to be long before the copter does literally fall apart.

"I know." said Casey wiping off the sweat from his forehead. So many things are running through his mind at this point as he grips the control stick of the copter tightly to the point where he may very well rip it off. Its at this point, he points at the on board computer system. "Check to see if there is a contingency plan for a situation like this." he ordered.

Chuck quickly gets on the computer and begins searching through all the folders. As he does, he knows that he hasn't been much of himself lately as his old self unfortunately resurfaced during the rollercoaster copter ride. The difficulty in keeping his composure all throughout the chaos and he's not going to make the excuse that he's tired after all he's been through since early this morning.

He had to once again give Casey his props for putting up with him knowing how irritated and annoyed he must have been as he screamed into the headset so many times. Granted, he is considered the Evil Knievel of the skies whenever he gets behind the stick of anything with wings or even a rotating blades for that matter he thinks to himself. Chuck needs to prove to the NSA Agent he can count on him when the chips are down.

So far, he hasn't had any luck whatsoever finding any significant information that will be able to help them concerning their current situation. He shakes his head as he feels of a sense of frustration after coming up empty. It's not until he gets to almost the last folder and begins scanning the information within that a brief smile appears on his face causing him to immediately turn to Casey.

"Parachutes!"

"What?" he quickly responded. "How are parachutes going to help us Bartowski? As you can plainly see we're not at least 100 feet off the ground."

"Its not for us." A look of confusion appears on Casey's face leading Chuck explain further. "The entire copter is equipped with parachutes!"

"And it is going to help us how?" he inquired briefly glancing at Chuck then turning his attention to the back of the copter.

"Its going to involve a 2 step plan, which I guarantee will work." he stated. "The first part of the plan is to reroute controls system to where I will be able to shut off the copter and the thrusters at the same time."

Casey pauses to mull over what Chuck just said. A Chuck guarantee would sound fool proof coming from him but the actual plan ended up falling apart to the point where he, Sarah, and Travis bailed him out. "You better be right about this Bartowsk!

"Trust me big guy!" Chuck looks directly at Casey with a seriousness in his eyes. "Come on, what do we have to lose?" he added.

There is a bit of hesitancy on his part to trust in what Chuck has up his sleeves but he takes his word for it. "What's the other part of your plan?"

"Here me out! Everyone knows that the air becomes thinner the higher you go right? Casey gives a quick nod acknowledging him. "Air gets thinner the higher up towards the atmosphere and the helicopter blades push down on this air to get lift. If the air becomes too thin, then there is nothing to push against and the helicopter can't go any higher. Airplanes work on the same basic principal as they need enough air to get lift."

"What's your point?." Casey emphatically stated.

"Airplanes can go to 30,000 feet and maybe more when it comes to military fighter jets can. I'm guessing that helicopters can go up to at least thousands of feet too, but I'm not sure."

"We don't have time for guessing…"

Chuck immediately cuts him off in mid sentence. "Listen! Didn't you tell me once the highest altitude a copter has ever flown is approximately 41,000ft. So without enough oxygen the fire goes out."

Chuck knows that his idea is way out there but they have to at least try. In order for this plan to work Casey would have to make a straight shot up in the air and give it all she's got. However, there is indeed a drawback he knows that because of the lack of oxygen in such a high altitude that the two of them will quite possibly lose consciousness, which is part of the plan that is considered risky.

"So your plan is that you want me to push the copter to an altitude of 41,000 ft in order to put out a fire. Is that what you're basically telling me?" he said looking directly at Chuck while clutching the control stick.

"Yeah, pretty much." answered Chuck. "And you can possibly break a Guinness world record while your at it."

There is a moment of silence as Chuck awaits his answer. The silence is brief as Casey suddenly responds. "Grab the control stick!" hollered Casey as he lets go of it in order to reach back for something.

"Chuck's eye's widen as he quickly reaches over to grab the stick with both hands trying to keep it steady. As he does, he is an absolute disbelief at what he just did. "What are you doing!"

"I'm strapping myself in." retorts Casey as he regains control of the stick leading Chuck to sit back in his seat. "I suggest you do too because we're going to see how high this baby can go.

XXX

**Castle - Tuesday 2:05 p.m.**

"This is crazy." stated Bryce in total disbelief. Bryce jumps out from his seat and stands up facing Sarah. "What the two of them are doing is absolute madness not to mention that bucket of bolts doesn't look like its going to hold together much longer."

Sarah knows what Chuck and Casey are doing is dangerous. The agent in her is telling her that it's a huge gamble they must undertake but as a wife-to-be her heart of hearts are telling her to cry but restrains herself from doing so It's a long shot but they've succeeded in long shot before but as a team instead of just a duo. There are so many thing that could possibly go wrong but she doesn't want to focus on that.

As much as she wants to contact the two of them in order to try to talk them out of doing it she knows they won't listen to her no matter what she says. As she stands with her arms crossed unconsciously twirling her engagement ring on her ring finger, she trust Chuck's judgment despite having reservations concerning their ability to pull the whole thing off.

Essentially, the lack of oxygen will be an advantage in extinguishing the fire and at the same time a disadvantage as Chuck will quickly have to regain consciousness in order to deploy the chutes.. "I trust Chuck." she firmly stated. "Do you want to know why I trust him?"

Sarah glances at Bryce who once again shakes his head in disbelief as he scratches the back of his head. He turns around to respond to her question. "Why?"

"When you love someone who you believe in and they in turn believe in you then anything is possible." she retorted with heartfelt confidence. "If Chuck believes the plan will work then I believe it because it has to."

From the look in Sarah's eyes he can see the love, devotion, and loyalty she has for him. It's a look telling him that she is truly connected to someone on a deep meaningful level and has the unwavering belief that the situation will work in the end. To him, it's a concept that is considered absolutely foreign to him. As a spy, he's been accustomed to experiencing being totally disconnected , which is why he has been so good at his profession all these years.

Graham always reiterated that to be an effective agent you must have the love, devotion, and loyalty to your country. The greater good is all that matters and there is no way you can have both. The safety of the United States supersedes anything and everything. Yet somehow Sarah has been able to attain that with Chuck and as much as he wants that he knows he has to rely on fact rather than belief.

"What if it doesn't?" Bryce points to the computer screen showing the image of the copter coming from the predator drone. He knows that the grim reality of the situation and in his own mind Sarah is thinking as a woman would rather than a highly trained government agent. "Are you willing to go through this knowing what you may possibly lose?"

"I have to." she replied. "And you know what Chuck would do the same for me if the roles were reversed." Sarah added. She is telling the truth he thought to himself. Chuck has always been the type of guy who would give a person the benefit of the doubt even if he or she was a bit sketchy. Its who he is and will always be. "Besides its your fault if they die Bryce." she emphasized looking directly at him.

Bryce immediately throws his hands up backing up a bit. "Whoa, my fault. How is this my fault?"

To be perfectly honest she couldn't think of anything valid to say at that particular moment. She knew Bryce did his absolute best to hack into the predator drone in order to take control of it but was too late in attempting to destroying the drone completely before it fired the last missile at them. The missile would be destroyed but the impact of the blast would ultimately cause damage to the copter so in hindsight it is his fault she thinks to herself.

"You know what it just is." she replied turning her attention back to the computer screen.

"Okay." Sarah's former partner just shakes his head at the accusation directed towards him. He doesn't want to give her more reasons to kick his ass because of something that is said concerning Chuck. As they stand listening to the conversation between Chuck and Casey concerning the preparations being made before heading up Bryce turns the focus on to his favorite executioner. "What about Casey?"

"What about him?"

"Can he do what he just said"

"He's got years of experience under his belt and I wouldn't want anyone else to be in that cockpit flying that copter but him. _Ouch! A double whammy insult both to the gut and a low blow._ She didn't pull any punches he thinks to himself. "Plus the one thing I know about Casey other than being the best damn partner I have ever had is that when he sets his mind on something he'll do it." she replied back.

Bryce knows all too well what Casey is capable when he sets his mind on something. He's personally experienced his shoot first and ask questions later mentality. He vividly remembers being shot in the chest after attaining the intersect and the last image he saw was Casey looking down at him with a smirk on his face causing him to rub the area where he got shot. _"That's for sure."_

XXX

**Helicopter - Tuesday 2:07 p.m.**

Casey pulls back on the control stick as they quickly ascend towards the heavens above. They reach an altitude of 7,000 feet and continue climbing. As they do, several thoughts are running through his mind but one in particular doesn't concern the situation they are currently facing. It concerns what Chuck made him promise to do and that was to call Jayne to talk to her.

That promise caused him to go reflect back on the night she discovered who he was purely by happenstance. It was Friday afternoon, Jayne was hanging out in his apartment and he went out briefly to take the trash out. The next thing he knows his cell phone goes off and when he checks it he finds that the alarm was tripped. When he walks back in she finds Jayne standing behind his desk.

He vividly remembers the conversation they both had like it was yesterday.

_"John what's going on?" she asked as she safely stands behind the desk. "You're taking home security to a whole new level."_

_"What are you doing?" he questioned._

_Casey walks into the living and stands next to the coffee table. He picks up the tv remote sitting on the table and punches in a few keys leading the alarms to shut off but the bars are still down._

_"I wanted to check my email and get on Facebook. I turned on your computer and I saw images of Ellie and Devon's apartment on there. Can you explain that to me?"_

_"It's not what you think." he calmly replied._

_"Then explain it to me." Jayne humorously responded. "I know you're a private person all and so am I but this has me concerned."_

_"I can't just let you walk out of here Jayne." Casey said._

_"Listen, unlike some women in Los Angeles who are unable to defend themselves I can and you know what I'm capable of." she stated. "I'll go down fighting."_

_He can see that Jayne is weary of the situation leading her to visually scan the area around her for not only an escape route, but anything that can possibly used as a weapon. The situation slowly intensifies with Casey not saying a single word as he stands there with his arms crossed. He continues to hold the tv control in his hand and then leans back sitting on top end of his armchair._

_"I know what you're capable of." responded Casey._

_A pissed off look appears on her face as she shakes her head. Casey's knows it's a lot of information for her to process even though he's given her all the details. Casey doesn't move from the spot where he's sitting. He keeps a reasonable distance between the two of them, which gives Jayne some breathing room. Its at that point, he lets her continue asking questions. "What's going on John?"_

_"I have Devon and Ellie on surveillance for their own protection. I've been keeping an eye on them for the past year or so ever since Chuck and Sarah got their own place in Santa Monica. My job is protect Chuck but that is now Sarah's job."_

_"What do Chuck and Sarah have to do with this?"_

_"That is classified."_

_"Tell me…" she emphatically stated. "…now!"_

_The one thing Casey knows about Jayne is that she will not back off when something is being kept from her. It was one of those endearing qualities that attracted him to her and if she were an agent she could very well use those skills in order to interrogate a perp. "Sit down please." motioning over to the stool in front of the desk._

_Jayne shakes her head after hearing his offer. "No, I would rather stand."_

_There is a brief moment of silence as Casey looks at a Jayne who is exuding both anger and curiosity. Casey takes a deep breathe and then gives a nod. "Sarah works for the C.I.A. and Chuck is a government analyst who works for us."_

_"Are they really a couple?"_

_"All I can say is Sarah compromised herself while protecting Chuck. She and the idiot are getting married for real."_

_"How long has this been going on?"_

_"I can't divulge that answer."_

_"Do you have me…my house on surveillance?" questioned Jayne._

_"No." grunts Casey._

_"How do I know you're telling the truth?"_

_"You don't."_

_The little information she is getting is astonishing and yet disappointing at the same time. She sits on the stool behind her. After taking some time to take everything in she turns to face him. "What happens now?"_

_"Protocol states that I tranq you and you be sent off to some undisclosed location for your own protection."_

_"My own protection?" A mixture of confused disbelief appears on her face. "I don't need protecting not even from you."_

_"Not from me." he firmly answered. "From the enemies I've made in the past and if they knew about you they would use you in order to get to me." Casey stand up and walks in front of the armchair in order to lift up the seat cushion. He grabs the tranq gun and points it at her. "It for your own good because I can't have you be put in danger."_

_"Why?" she firmly stated._

_"Because."_

_"Because why?" Jayne crosses her arms as she furrows her eyebrows as she looks intently at Casey. "I'm only going to ask you once until you give me an answer John so spill._

_"I care about you that's why." he spitted out. He shakes his head as he steps around the armchair and steps forward towards her. "And because I care about you I don't want you to put yourself in danger. If you are then I'm not going to be able to do my job."_

_A hint of a smile appears on her face. "I care about you too believe me I do but can't I make that decision on my own?"_

_"Casey shakes his head. "I'm sorry."_

_Casey watches as Jayne stands up and slowly walks straight over to him. She stops a few feet shy of where he's standing as he still has the tranq gun point at her. He watches as she stands there and then closes her eyes. To him, she expects to be shot and then wake up somewhere. He stands there gripping the tranq gun tighter in his hand but as much as its considered standard protocol he can't seem to pull the trigger._

_Its at that point, he lowers the tranq gun and push a sequence of buttons on the tv control causing the bars to retract up disappearing into the archway located in between his front door and living room. Jayne opens her eyes to see Casey with the tranq gun lower at his side. "You can stay living a life where you will always be looking over your shoulder or walk away never to see me again. The choice is yours." he stated_

The choice Jayne made was to stay and as much as he's concerned about her safety she has been able to take care of her own. Casey's thoughts are suddenly interrupted when Chuck's voice snaps him back into reality. "20,000 ft Casey!" hollered Chuck.

"This better work Bartowski!"

Chuck looks over at Casey and then at the altimeter as it continues to rise. _I hope it does too._

XXX

**Helicopter - Tuesday 2:15 p.m.**

The copter continues to rise as they reach 30,000 ft after several minutes thanks to the thrusters. Casey can feel the pressure effecting the copter itself as pieces of it to gradually fly off. He has been in this type of situation before back when was in Desert Storm and enemy forces fired on him. The Apache copter he was in suffered significant damage and he did his best to keep it flying in order to get back to the base.

Long story short, he crash landed but was rescued in time and taken back to the base. The NSA Agent didn't want the same thing to happen to him back then happen now. He looks over at Chuck who is visually locked on the onboard computer system as he monitors the fire that is continuing to still burn to the damaged part of the tail end of the copter.

"Give me the SITREP Barowski!"

"The same as before Casey!" Chuck reads on the computer the threat level damage has risen to 65% and steadily rising. It doesn't look good he thinks to himself but he doesn't want to tell Casey that. If the threat level goes over 85 percent and they're not able to make it then it was a valiant effort to say the least. "Just keep it as steady as you can!" he hollered.

"Easy for you to say!' barked Casey as he struggles to keep the copter steady. "Explain to me again the 2nd part of the plan again!" he added.

"As I said before, the air gets thinner the higher up towards the atmosphere and the helicopter blades push down on this air to get lift. If the air becomes too thin, then there is nothing to push against and the helicopter can't go any higher." he firmly stated. "However, the thrusters have given us that added boost we need to get there."

"Something tells me there is a but somewhere in there." remarked the NSA agent. "What aren't you telling me!" he responded gritting his teeth.

"The added boost is also causing the copter to fall apart!" stated Chuck. "Hey, if the copter was in good condition we could pull it off no problem but we're working with what we got!" he hollered.

"I'll make it work!"

"I know you will big guy!" Chuck has every bit of confidence in Casey to keep the copter together even if has to threaten it with body harm. "So once we reach the intended altitude I'm going to have to immediately shut off the thrusters and the copter barring that it doesn't fall apart, explode, or either one of us passes out and then I engage the parachutes leaving the two of us to safely fall to the ground below." he stated.

"Did I just hear you say explode?"

Chuck immediately changes the subject in order to let the focus be on the word explode. "Look, whether you heard what you think I said we've come this far to not stop now?"

Casey points his finger directly at Chuck. "If we survive this, I'm going to kill you. You do know that."

"How about you hold off that urge to kill me and save it for Severs."

The brown haired co-pilot hears him give his typical grunt worthy response as they reach 35,000 ft. As they continue to go higher, Chuck can not only feel the air getting thinner and not mention colder it causes him to experience difficulty breathing. Its at this point, Chuck's vision is becoming a bit of problem as his eyes start to flutter because of the lack of oxygen. He looks over at Casey who is experiencing the very same thing. "Stay with me Casey!" he screamed.

"I'm fine!" Just worry about your end!" he hollered back.

Chuck looks at the computer and even though his vision is blurred he can read that the threat level damage is at 79%. Just a few more feet he thinks to himself. The copter continues to climb and within a matter of seconds they reach 41,000 ft. They continue to climb higher reaching an altitude of 41,500 ft and its at this point the fire has completely extinguished but unfortunately Casey passes out.

_You've done you're job Casey now I'm doing mine._ In his groggy state, he reach over and presses the enter button in order to shut off both operating systems and just in time too as the threat level reached 83%. However, as he does the main rotating blades break apart and the sudden jerk causes the copter to barrel roll counterclockwise slamming the two occupants inside as it beings to go into a fast downward descent.

The now non working copter is spiraling towards the ground at a relatively fast speed at an altitude of 40,000 ft. With Casey passed out, Chuck knows its up to him to disengage the chutes in order to save the both of them. Time isn't on their side but the sheer force of the speed they are falling is not only pinning him back against his seat unable to reach the computer, but causing him to slowly pass out as well.

XXX

_**NOTE: HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS CHAPTER. AS USUAL PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT!**_


	17. Shock and Awe

**Castle - Tuesday 2:16 p.m.**

Sarah's eyes widen as she sees the startling images coming from the predator drone of the copter spiraling down towards the ground. In that brief moment of silence, it became hard for her to breathe leaving her in a mixture of shock and disbelief as what she is witnessing before her very eyes. She immediately snaps herself stepping out of it and step forward to the main Castle computer causing Bryce to question her actions.

"What are you doing?" he quickly askrf with curiosity. Sarah ignores him as she begins quickly punching away at the keys. He immediately walks over asking the same question before and without any hesitation Sarah responds to him.

"I'm contacting Chuck and Casey. They need our help!"

"You don't know that." responded Bryce. "For all we know they are waiting for the perfect time to engage the parachutes."

"What if you're wrong!" Sarah continues to ignore Bryce causing him to place his left hand on her right shoulder. She suddenly stops snapping her head to look at where Bryce's hand is at then up staring directly into his eyes. As much as he knows that he's possibly going to regret what he has just done he risks it in order to get through to her. "Wasn't it you who said to me that when you love someone who you believe in and they in turn believe in you then anything is possible?"

There is no immediate response from Sarah. She knows that she considers herself a hypocrite going against everything that has been said to her former partner. However, ever since Chuck has been on their non stop twisted game of life and death she feels like she's been wearing a straight jacket thought this whole ordeal. In her mind, she's been wrapped up tightly both mentally and emotionally unable to feel any sense of calm.

She hasn't been able to hear what's happening between the two of them until now. True, it has been in a way easy for her to not know and the only semblances of relief that would be provided for her were the phones calls she received from Chuck after barely surviving Severs' traps. Though it would be a temporary relief talking to him, she knew he would be off with Casey to do it all over again.

The anger she feels for Severs putting the two of them though this is boiling inside her. It takes everything in her power to restrain herself from breaking Bryce's left hand and even she would feel good about it afterwards it wouldn't accomplish anything. She knows that is most definitely wasting her time dealing with her former partner and makes her intentions perfectly clear to him.

"Either you're with me or stand aside!"

It is very clear to him by the look in Sarah's eyes that she's intent on helping her two teammates and nobody is going to stop her from doing so even if it means compromising the location of Castle. As much as Bryce hasn't been much for obeying the rules since he's been off the radar he doesn't want her to find herself being reprimanded for disobeying a direct order or worse arrested for insubordination.

Instead of letting go of her right shoulder, Bryce quickly reaches over and pulls her away from the computer. He holds both sides of her upper arms and leans in closer in order for her to look directly at him. "You heard what Beckman said." he emphatically stated. "If we contact them then Severs will know the location of Castle. Those were Beckman's orders!"

"The hell with Beckman's orders!" she emphatically stated returning her attention back Castle's main screen. "I can't just can't stand back and do nothing!"

"I understand…"

The blonde agent suddenly cuts him off. "No!" she screamed back. Sarah breaks free from his grip and pushes him back a few feet from her. As she does that, he reaches behind her and pulls out her weapon with her right hand gripping it tightly aiming directly at him. "You don't understand Bryce! Have you ever put everything on the line in order to save someone you love even if it meant risking your own career? "

Bryce stands there for a moment letting the question sink in. He's definitely put his own career in the line when he broke into DN1 in order to steal the intersect in order to not have it fall into Fulcrum's hands. Unfortunately, he hasn't risked everything on the line for love and to be perfectly honest he doesn't think he will ever be in a situation where he will have to choose the job over a woman. "No, I haven't." he answered shaking his head.

"Then you know nothing of what I'm feeling or thinking for that matter because every second I've wasted with you is a second that I should have been using to try to get through to Chuck." she quickly spitted out.

"Maybe I don't know what you're feeling or thinking but I do know that you're actions right now would be an absolute distraction and could very well complicate things for Chuck." Bryce pauses so that he can choose his words wisely. "He's a very smart, resilient guy and you just have to trust he will somehow pull a rabbit out of his hat at the last second. Just watch."

"You don't know that for sure." Sarah can feel the tears well up within her eyes but does her very best to restrain herself from letting the tears flow down. She continues to aim her weapon directly at Bryce knowing full well she can just knock him out by pistol whipping him on the side of the head. "What can you possibly say that will assure me he's going to make it?"

"That right there." Bryce points at the wedding ring on her finger causing Sarah to suddenly lower her weapon to her side as she looks at the sparkling diamond that belonged to Chuck's mother. He slowly walks up to her and looks her in the eyes. "You mean everything to him and he's not going to let death stop him from marrying you that's for damn sure."

XXX

**Helicopter - Tuesday 2:20 p.m.**

Chuck opens his eyes to find himself staring up into a bright light. He winces and quickly shield from the sheer brightness that has caused him to momentarily see spots in his eyes. After a few seconds, the spots are gone and then slowly sits up to find himself in the same deserted area where the wind farms are located. He stands up, brushes himself off and turns to see the back end of copter several feet behind him with the parachutes sprawled out.

We made it he thinks to himself as a smile appears on his face. Chuck doesn't know how they were able to make out but they made it out alive nonetheless. His smile suddenly falls flat as he doesn't see Casey anywhere. To him, he must have pulled him out once he regained consciousness first and then returned to the cockpit in order to call for help. As he rushes over, Chuck hollers out for him.

"Casey! We made it out alive big guy!" When he reaches the pilot side door he immediately opens it expecting to see Casey sitting there with a headset on. Yet, all he sees is an empty seat causing him to become worried. He sticks his head into the cabin of the copter and scans the interior of it to find no sign of Casey inside anywhere. Chuck backs out and shuts the cockpit door with a look of confused disbelief on his face.

He shakes his head and wonders what is going on. He takes a few steps away from the copter seeing not only the mountains before him, but the gigantic rotating wind farms showing signs that a battle did indeed happen. He takes out his cell phone and tries to call him but no answer. He then dials Sarah's number doesn't get any answer as well causing him to become very worried. What's going on he thinks to himself.

Chuck attempts to call out Casey's attempts once again when he hears a voice behind him. "Hey Chuck."

Chuck quickly turns around and his eyes immediately widen as he sees a familiar face standing there. From the look on face he doesn't know whether he's real or merely an illusion. It takes everything he has to spit out the one word he wants to say. "Dad?"

So many thoughts are running through his mind at this point but the one main thought that keeps repeating over and over in his head is this can't be real.

"How are you doing son?"

_How am I doing?_ For a dead man he looks good he thinks to himself. So many thoughts are running through his mind at this point but the one main thought that keeps repeating over and over in his head is this can't be real, He knows that his father died in the line of duty at the hands of Marcus Stefano. So he comes to the unfortunate conclusion he didn't engage the parachutes in time and now he's in some of kind of purgatory like in the television series Lost only instead of being on an island he's in the desert.

As he walks towards him, Chuck backs up immediately because he's in absolute disbelief at this point. He continues backing up until he trips falling back on the ground. He lays there for a second with his eyes closed and he can hear footsteps walking towards him to the point where they stop right by his head. Chuck doesn't want to open his eyes because he asks the question anyways.

"I'm dead aren't I?"

With his eyes closed, he hears his father's response. "It up to you."

_Its up to me?_ The response causing Chuck to open his eyes and looks up at his father. "What do you mean its up to me?"

Chuck watches as he sees his father extend his right hand for him to grab it so he can pull him up to his feet. He is a bit hesitant to do so but he reaches up anways grabbing his father's right hand and is pulled up to his feet. He brushes himself off once again and looks directly at his dad still not believing that he's talking to him. However, its good to see him and would like nothing more to catch up but he knows he can't.

"This isn't your time just yet. The mission isn't over. You still have unfinished business to take care of."

"I know dad. I'm not going to let Severs have the satisfaction of seeing me or Casey for that matter dead. He killed Travis and he's going to pay for what he did."

"Just know that I'm proud of the man you've become.

"I wish you were alive dad so you can watch me get married to Sarah."

"I know son and you mom wishes she could too."

The son of Abraham Bartowski eye's wide upon hearing about his mom. Its been ages since he last saw his mom. What he wouldn't give to see and hug her if only for a mere moment he thinks to himself. He would like nothing more than to tell her that he has met the woman of his dreams and introduce Sarah to her. In his heart of hearts, he knows she would love her to death.

"Is mom with you?"

"You will get to see her but now is not the time."

Abe walks over with a smile on his face and place both hands on his shoulder. "Remember things aren't always what they seem."

"Okay…"Chuck raising his right eyebrow slightly at what his father just said to him. "…I'll try to remember that."

"I love you dad."

"I love you too son."

"I need you to do one more thing for me."

"What's that?"

Without warning Abe slaps Chuck right across the face causing him to have a surprised look on his face. "Wake up now!"

Chuck slowly awakens to find himself strapped in his seat of the badly damaged copter as it continues to hurdle towards the ground at an exceedingly fast rate and as it does, pieces of the copter break apart bit by bit. He turns to see Casey passed out and pressed up against his seat after surpassing the intended altitude that was set in order for the fire to be out. His focus goes from the Casey to the altimeter that reads 10,000 ft and dropping.

He musters all the strength he has and leans forward stretching his right arm so that he can reach the onboard console with one hand. Chuck is mere finger tips away from the computer and after twisting his body just enough that his fingertips are touching the keyboard he slowly types in the information all-the-while keeping an eye on the altimeter, which is now reading 7,000 ft and descending fast.

It's a struggle to type in the last remaining sequences in but he's able to do with one hand mind you. Once its done, his arm slammed back against his body causing him to again be pressed up against his seat. Chuck closes his eyes and takes a great big deep breathe and then opens them back up again. He turns his body and gives it everything he's got stitching his right arm in order to reach the enter button.

As he gives it all he's got he's sees the altimeter read 3000 ft and he knows it's a point of no return. His fingertips are mere inches away from pressing enter. _It's now or never Chuck!_ A war like scream is belted out giving him that much needed push as he presses the button engaging the parachutes. Chuck feels the sudden jerk of the copter as the fast downward spiral has decreased immensely leaving him able to move a bit more freely within the cabin.

The only response he can give at this point is one big sigh of relief as he takes one last look at Casey who is now slumped over a bit. He reaches over and pats him on the shoulder and then turns to see the altimeter which is reading 1000 ft and steadily dropping. Chuck shows a hint of smile on his face and as he closes his eyes he lets his head fall back head back against his seat. Once again they've cheated death.

XXX

**Mohave Valley - Tuesday 3:00 p.m.**

Chuck and Casey are standing around the beaten up and broken façade of the copter. They are recuperating from their rollercoaster ride of an ordeal and as they do the predator drone that was at one point trying that Bryce took control of is now parked just a few feet away from them. As Casey is giving the SITREP to General Beckman, Chuck is on his cell phone talking with Sarah reassuring her that he is okay.

"I'm fine Sarah." he responded in a reassuring manner. "Really I am."

_"Don't lie to me. I can see you ya know."_

Chuck turns his head to see that the surveillance camera on the predator drone is pointing straight at him. Sarah told him how Bryce hacked into the predator drone and was able to take control of it despite the last missile being shot at them inevitably causing the damage that would have them taking another risky chance to avoid being killed. Despite that, he had to give Bryce his props for doing that.

The beleaguered business owner walks over and kneels down in front of the camera giving a hint of smile as he runs his hand through his hair. "How do I look?"

_"You look like shit."_

"Yeah…" Chuck replied with a hint laughter. "…and I probably smell like it too. "he added lifting his right arm smelling his right armpit. Sarah responds with a hint of laughter of her own which can be clearly heard on the other end of the phone. "I wonder if there's a lake around here to jump into. Just need a bar of soap and I'm good."

_"Stop joking around you almost died."_

"But I didn't." he softly replied as he lowers his head. "As long as I'm still breathing I will come back to you and nothing not even Elliot Severs would keep me from marrying you."

_"That's what Bryce said."_

"I guess he's not such a douche bag after all." he humorously stated.

There is pause on the other end of the line and all Chuck can hear in that moment is sound of her breathing into the phone. It worries him and just as he is about to say something when he hears her voice again._ "Don't every scare me like that again."_

"I'm sorry." Chuck look up and straight into the surveillance camera." Hey, I'm still in one piece and I'm not going away any time soon. I promise you that." responded Chuck.

_"I'm keeping you at your word Mr. Bartowski."_

A wide smile appears on his face. "I'll try not to Mrs. Bartowski and just to let to let you know I had things pretty much under control."

_"Uh huh."_

"So General Beckman is sending a copter to pick us up?"

_"Yeah. It should be there by the hour."_ stated Sarah._ "As soon as she saw the parachutes engaged she immediately ordered a helicopter to your location."_

"So what does Severs have planned for you next?

Chuck doesn't even want to think about what's next on Severs' agenda for the two of them. He's just glad to be talking to Sarah and to hear her voice gives him the strength to keep on going no matter what. For the most part, they've been able to survive the traps that they've been able to escape experiencing a few bumps, bruises, and scrapes. By his calculations, they've used up 4 of their 9 lives and he most definitely knows Severs has been keeping a count as well.

"Who knows at this point. Probably start a fight with a biker gang knowing his morbid mentality."

_"Well whatever you do stay out of the air this time."_

"Trust me I will."

_"I love you."_

Chuck looks directly into the surveillance camera. He places his hand on his heart, then on his lips, and then places it on the camera. "Ditto."

He hangs up and walks towards Casey who is sitting under the comfortable shade of predator drone in order to protect themselves from the scorching sun above. He plops himself down across from Casey as they lean back against the beaten up the wheels of the drone. They take a much needed breather from their rollercoaster ride of an ordeal they just had and in that particular moment both men embrace the calmness, which they haven't been to experience for quite some time.

The moment doesn't last long as Chuck hears his teammate's voice. "Nice job Bartowski. You didn't manage to kill us."

"Was there ever any doubt I would?" questioned Chuck expressing a tired smile. Casey is about to respond when Chuck quickly interjects. "Don't answer that."

"You asked."

"You know we're going to be here for a while so what do you want to do to pass the time?"

"Not talking sounds good idea." replied Casey. "How about we try that."

Casey commences to close his eyes and get some shut eye until the copter comes to get them. He is intent on taking the little time they have to just relax and get a couple of minutes of shut eye before they do it again. Unfortunately, he's sitting next to a guy that doesn't have the capacity to keep his trap shut. After a few moments of silences, Chuck disturbs the tranquil solace he's currently experiencing.

"Casey?"

"Did I tell you no talking Bartowski?" barked the government agent. "This is the only peaceful moment I've had since this whole thing started and you're ruining it for me."

"I know you did but…"

Casey immediately opens his eyes and expresses a glaring look towards Chuck. "But what?"

"Nevermind." Chuck pauses in order to think of another question to ask and quickly finds one. "Do you think Severs is having a fit right now because we escaped being killed again."

"More like a girly tantrum." retorted Casey. "Its just a matter of time. Even though Larkin took control of the predator drone Severs still has the ability to see what he and Sarah saw."

"Which means…"

"Yup."

As if on cue, Severs' cell phone rings leading Casey to fish it out of his pocket. A smirk appears on his face as he glances at Chuck. "Speak of the devil."

XXX

**Mohave Valley - Tuesday 3:01 p.m.**

"Surprised that we're still alive?" inquired Casey standing in front of the predator drone.

_"Quite the contrary…"_ responded Severs. _"…though you two may have barely slipped past my latest challenge you won't be able to slip past my next one."_

"What do you have planned for us this time? Enter us into a UFC fight against Anderson Silva and Brock Lesnar?"

_"Sounds tempting but I have something more devious planned for you two."_

Casey doesn't want to tip their hand letting Severs know that they know his true identity. He knows he has to somehow throw him off balance so that the two of them will be able to take control of the situation instead of being controlled. In order to do that, he will pursue drastic measures and it will have to involved himself, Chuck, Sarah, and even though he dislike it Bryce.

"Why don't we cut out these childish games." stated Casey. "You know we're going to end up escaping like we always do possibly by the skin of our teeth and you're going to throw a little girly fit because you failed once again like you always do." he added. "Its an endless cycle of embarrassing disappointment that we thoroughly enjoy and do you really want to put yourself through that?

There is moment of silence on the other end of the line. Casey's strategy could go either way for him but he hopes Severs' narcissistic attitude concerning his obsession with their demise will be to their advantage. Casey knows he's purposefully not saying anything for the time being just to play into his mind games, which won't work on him. His resolve isn't deterred in any way and waits patiently.

_"Do you have a point to all this Agent Casey?"_

"My point is let's talk this out like adults if you can."

"Casey what are you doing?" questions Chuck as he stands there with a curious look on his face just a few feet away.

The NSA Agent covers the phone and responds to Chuck's inquiry. "I'm changing the game plan.

Chuck's go completely wide upon hearing that stunning bit of information. To him, it's completely out of left field. "You're what?"

"Trust me I know what I'm doing."

"Casey you're not Nate Ford." he quickly responded. "This is not the tv show Leverage and unless you have a grifter, hitter, thief, and hacker at your disposal then you're crazy."

"You're a hacker, Sarah was a grifter, I'm the hitter, and as much I don't like Larkin being part of this he is the thief." stated Casey. "Any questions?"

Chuck is absolutely speechless at this point. He doesn't know what is possessing Casey to risk such a move at a critical point such as this. There are so many questions running through his mind at this point that when he is about to speak up about it he's immediately stopped by Casey's finger being held up in the air.

"So what do you say?" said Casey. "Let's do some business."

_"What business shall we talk about?"_

"We have something of yours that you want back and so do we." he stated. "You're last partner failed in his attempt to retrieve him and he was killed for his efforts. Come on you can't pass up this special offer because as of right now it's on the table for a limited time only."

_"How do I know this is just an elaborate set up?"_

"You don't. So what do you say?"

_"I'll call you for the time and place to make…"_

Casey immediately interjects. "This isn't how it works. We have what you want so I'll call you when we have him in our possession." emphatically stated Casey. "I have your number."

_"Agreed."_ replied Severs._ "Oh, before I go I think you should know that even though my predator drone was taken over I can still destroy it. Tick tock."_

The other end of the line clicks off leading Casey to immediately grabs Chuck. "Run!"

Chuck and Casey book it towards the downed helicopter and about halfway there the predator drone explodes. The impact of the explosion causes the two men to fly forward hitting the ground. After a few seconds or so, they slowly stand up brushing themselves off in the process. Its at this point, Chuck turns to his teammate to talk about what he just agreed to.

"Do you realize what you did."

"Yeah I do."

"Beckman is not going to approve Klinger's release from the C.I.A. Detention center." spitted out Chuck.

"I know." nodded Casey. "That's why we're going to break him out."

XXX

**_NOTE: HOPE YOU ENJOYED READING THIS PARTICULAR CHAPTER. AS USUAL LEAVE A COMMENT AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK?_**


	18. Know Your Role

**Castle - Tuesday 5:15 p.m.**

Chuck and Casey step through the metal door of the underground facility much to the surprise of Sarah and Bryce. Chuck is the first to walk down the stairs with a smile on his face. He's not even halfway down the stairs when the beleaguered business owner is engulfed in an embrace by his loving fiancé with her arms wrapped tightly around his neck pressing her lips against his.

As the two lovebirds are in the middle of their make out session when they both hear the voice of their favorite NSA Agent. "Get a room." grunted Casey.

The two ignore Casey's comment. They simply smile as they continue locking lips near the bottom of the stairs. For Sarah its an absolute relief for her to be holding Chuck in her arms knowing full well that she nearly lost him because of Elliot Severs. The anger she felt for Severs quickly faded away the minute she saw Chuck standing at the top of the landing locking eyes wither her.

While Chuck and Sarah are in their own little word Bryce is standing near the conference table witnessing the public display of affection between the two. From his view point, this is the first time, he has actually seen the two of them being affectionate towards each other. If he admitted to himself of being jealous of Chuck before, he's most definitely jealous of him now.

The attention he has on the two of them is abruptly ended when Casey once again makes his presence his known. "Agent Larkin." he gruffly stated.

Casey's sudden presence causes him to jump a bit causing the marine to smirk. The simple act of standing behind him makes Bryce a bit weary but he makes sure he doesn't show by masking it with the all too familiar ere of arrogance that exudes. He take a quick glance behind him giving a smarmy look towards the man he shot him twice. As much as Bryce would thoroughly enjoy throwing verbally jabs at one another with Casey he knows that he's unfortunately not the type of guy who does much talking.

"Major Casey." he said.

"It's Colonel Casey now." he firmly stated.

"Wow…" Bryce crosses his arms as a somewhat impressed look appears on his face. "…I'm impressed. How many people have you killed in order to earn that dubious title?"

"If I tell you then I'll have to kill you." the NSA agent replied. "I'll be happy to add you to the list."

Sarah's former partner briefly remains silent. He doesn't want to be goaded into a confrontation in which insults are exchanged and threats of bodily harm are directed towards him. Its just a waste of time he thinks to himself. "What to you want Casey."

"I'm just reminding you about not overstepping boundaries." stated Casey. "Unless you want me to exercise my right to bear arms?"

He shakes his head and slowly turns around facing the man who would like nothing more to shoot him again but this time aim for his head. To him, Casey is not the type of person who would actually care about two people especially ones that according to him clearly annoy him to no end. Yet, he's very protective of their seemingly strong relationship and would personally take it upon himself to keep it that way.

"I remember." retorted Bryce reaching up to softly massage his neck.

The two men have a silent dare down with one another but is immediately broken up when they both hear the sound of Chuck's voice. "Bryce can I talk to you for a minute?"

Bryce doesn't break eye contact as he responds to his former roommate. "Yeah." He gives a slow nod to the veteran government agent who expresses a grunt as he takes his leave. Bryce walks around the conference table to meet up with Chuck who is now at the bottom of the steel steps with Sarah by his side holding hands. Once again, he witnesses the absolute joy and happiness they share for one another.

He stands there with a forced smile on his face as he waits for Chuck and Sarah's public display of affection to be over. Bryce wonders if Casey is the way he is because of those two always expressing their love towards one another. If it is, then he feels somewhat sorry for him but can't help laugh on the inside because he's enduring a type of constant psychological torture.

He then rolls his eyes and audibly clears his throat loud enough for Chuck and Sarah to hear. It worked as the two of them turn around with Sarah standing in front of Chuck who has his arm wrapped around her waist with his head slightly pressed up against the right side of her face. A picture perfect couple that even looking at them makes you want to puke he thinks to himself.

"Listen…" Chuck peers down at Sarah and kisses the top of her head. "…all things considered I just want to thank you for helping me and Casey up there." he says extending his hand for a handshake.

There is a bit of hesitancy on the part of Bryce to shake his hand because of their past history and the issues that are involved. However, he sets them aside and reaches out to shake his hand acknowledging his part in being able to thwart air disaster. "No problem. It took me a while but I was able to hack in and take control." he retorted. "It's been a while since I hacked into something, especially a military predator drone. I detonated the missile but unfortunately it was too close to the tail end of the copter." added Bryce.

"It showed and it nearly cost Chuck and Casey's life." interjects Sarah with a look of seriousness on her face.

There is moment of awkward silence between all three people causing Chuck to attempt to break it. "Hey, do you remember the prank we pulled off in college…"

"The one where we hacked into the school's central server replacing the school's real webpage with a phony one…"

"And we announced that Stanford was purchased by Disney for $6.9 billion. The press release announced some of the plans which included moving the campus to Orlando and adding new buildings that would house the School of Imagineering, and the Donald Duck Department of Linguistics.

"The President of the school never did find out who did it."

"Good times." The two men nod to each other in acknowledgement of their epic tail of hijinks. Its at this point, Chuck clearly can sense by Bryce's body language that he's uncomfortable standing there talking to them. As much as he wants to put the past behind him, he wants to get the last jab in. "Look, I appreciate what you did coming from a guy who I found out is actually jealous of me. Who knew." he responded with a smirk on his face.

"What?" Bryce focus from Chuck immediately to Sarah. "You told him?"

Sarah, with innocent look on her face, is about to respond when Casey makes his presence known breaking up the trip down memory lane. "If you three ladies are done yapping, we have work to do so meet up at the conference table."

"What's up?" inquired Sarah.

"Briefing with Beckman in 1 minute." states Casey heading towards Castle's main computer.

XXX

**Castle - Tuesday 5:20 p.m.**

"Agent Casey and Mr. Batowski I'm glad to see you're still in one piece."

"So are we General." replied Chuck.

Upon saying that Chuck feels his left hand being squeezed. He quickly glances to his left to see Sarah smiling at him. He responds with a smile of his own. The moment between the two of them is interrupted by Chuck's name being called out by Beckman. "Mr. Bartowski, do you have any detailed information you can share with concerning Elliot Severs?"

"Elliot Severs is the Ace of Clubs. He's considered the deadliest member of the Dead Man's Hand and he's pretty much the enforcer of the team. Severs is responsible for a number of high profile assassination attempts that have succeeded and always leaving the calling card of the Ace of Spades." spitted out Chuck. "The last known job he did was back in 04 where a high ranking Colombian official was to turn over pertinent information to the F.B.I but before he was to give a sworn statement he assassinated. He was found dead in his hotel hanging from his wrists from the ceiling fan with his throat cut and tongue otherwise known as a Colombian neck tie."

"That information we already know thanks to Agent Larkin." replied Beckman. Chuck glances over to see Bryce with a hint of smile on his face after being acknowledged by Beckman for his efforts." Do you care to provide more information that we don't know?"

"Severs was a former Black Ops Marine in the Vietnam War and was awarded the Bronze Star for his work." stated Chuck. "He was off the radar until he mysteriously resurfaced as early as 1985 leaving his calling card the Ace of Clubs found at the scene of a car bombing in Telugu India involving a man named Rasvati Kumar. He's more methodical and twisted when it comes to the jobs that he does, which is apparent by what he's been attempted to do to Casey and I." Chuck shakes his head as he continues on. "When it comes to his personal life, there is no mention of any family in his file."

"Most assassins work alone, without an 'agency' simply because it's more cost efficient." Casey chimed in. "You see, most marks are an unwanted spouse or a witness, in either case, $50,000 would be more likely put towards a lawyer, normal hits are about $12,000 which makes them appealing. However, the guys that they are going after are high level government officials or in this case two guys who so happen to have twice thwarted their efforts in getting the job done. As Casey continues to talk all eyes are intently focused on him, especially Chuck. "I've heard that some assassins work together or have a handler that recruit's a team, which may be the case with Dead Man's Hand. They must have a handler who is charge of these guys. As Casey continues to talk all eyes are intently focused on him.

"How do you know about this?" questioned Bryce.

Casey turns his head to face Chuck and then the rest of individuals around him. "Do you really want to know?" replieed Casey.

The attention on Casey is abruptly ended as General Beckman snaps all 4 of them back facing her way. It's clear by the look on her face she's been dealing with a lot as of late as Chuck and Casey have been leaving a path of destruction in which she has sent teams of NSA cleansers to clean up. In addition to that, Beckman isn't in the type of mood for simple chit chat and wants clear cut answers.

"Has Severs given you to the next clue to where you're possibly going?"

"Negative General." responded Casey. "Its been at least 2 hours since he last contacted us."

"Do you think he's given up." questioned Bryce.

"From what we've been able to ascertain, he's not the type to give up." responded Sarah to her former partner. "He's determined even more to come after you two devising something that will keep you down for good." she adds.

"Well, if Severs does call try your best to stay alive gentlemen." firmly stated Beckman as the main computer screen goes black.

There is a brief moment of silence as 4 individuals stand around the conference. Sarah notices that Chuck acting very peculiar as he looks at Casey telling her something is up. It deeply concerns her especially at a time like this. "Okay…" Sarah places her hands on the conference table and leans forward looking at the two men in front of her. "…you're hiding something so spill it."

A look of confusion appears on Bryce's face as he glances back and from the two men to his right to Sarah on the other side of the conference table. "What's going on?"

"What…nothing." quickly spitted out Chuck. "What's make you think something is going on?" he added.

"You're babbling and you babble when you're either nervous or trying to hiding something." she said looking directly at Chuck. She then turns her attention straight to Casey. "Tell me what's going on. I'm your partner and as a partner you have to be straight with me no matter what."

Casey stands there for a moment with his arms crossed and unlike Chuck he is able to have an absolute poker face when it comes to being interrogated. For a man like Casey, he's been interrogated by the very best and not once did he divulge information even when he suffered broken bones or was shot up with sodium pentothal. However, when it came to his partner Sarah Walker it's a whole other story.

"What I'm about to say stays in this room you got it?" emphatically states Casey. He watches as Sarah, with a concerned look on her face, begrudgingly nods her head. Bryce follows suit and after glancing at Chuck he take a deep breathe. "Here's what going on."

XXX

**Castle - Tuesday 5:30 p.m.**

Casey spent the last 5 minutes explaining to Sarah and Bryce his plan. A plan in which he, Chuck, Sarah, and Bryce will have to somehow break Severs' Dead Man Hand's teammate out of the C.I.A. facility in order to make the exchange for Travis' kids.. Needless to say, it didn't go over too well with Sarah who didn't say a single word as she sat there listening to the entire plan.

"You know you're out of your mind don't you." replied Sarah. "What were you even thinking to do something so stupid like that knowing what General Beckman would do to all of us if she knew?"

Sarah doesn't know what to think at this point. So many thoughts are running through her mind as she is trying to wrap her brain around what Casey has gotten all them into. To even suggest breaking a member of Dead Man's Hand Maxwell Klinger out of a C.I.A. facility is not only considered career suicide as they would each separately face a list of felony charges ranging from aiding the escape of a felon to use of excessive force.

She knows Team Chuck has faced Beckman before as their share of trouble before when it comes to dealing with the consequences of their actions but this is much bigger than disobeying orders. To her, what Casey is asking them to do knowing full well its to exchange him for Travis' kids who are being used as leverage in order for Chuck and her partner to play Severs' game.

"She's not going to know." he retorted. Casey furrows his eyebrows as he talks directly to Sarah and nobody else. The one person he needs on board with this plan is Sarah because if there is the possibility of a fight she there to back him up as usual. He knows it's going to be tough to convince her knowing how stubborn she can be but in his mind he knows she will agree to it. "Severs' whole plan for us to go through those challenges was to somehow get his teammate back knowing we would end up failing."

"Why?" Bryce inquired.

"Because…" Casey glances at Bryce and returns his attention back to Sarah. "…he knows that Team Chuck is always at their best when we work as a team. We're an unstoppable force to be reckoned with when we're at full strength. Severs' intentionally took out Travis so that he could disrupt the cohesive unit by clearly setting us up to fail since Chuck and I started this. What he wanted to do is pick us apart and I refused to let that happen because even though we've lost one teammate I'll be damned if I lose 2 others." he emphatically stated.

"It's basically a divide and conquer mentality." chimed in Chuck. "With Travis, me, and Casey out of the picture its just a matter of time before he comes after you." he added looking at Sarah. "Casey is right. In order for this plan to work we have to go rogue and find a way to break Klinger out without Beckman getting wind of it." Chuck steps forward in front of Sarah and looks deeply into her eyes. "I know its crazy, dangerous, and we may end up going to prison but I made a promise to Leah that we'll get them back."

"You never break your promises." said Sarah.

"That's right and I don't intended on breaking it now. Casey and I need you to be with us because to be perfectly honest we can't do this without you." Chuck says. "This is for Travis and Shannon."

Sarah reaches up to caress Chuck's right cheek with the palm of the right hand. She leans up to softly kiss him on the lips and then turns to the best damn partner she has ever had giving him her answer. "I'm in."

There is a momentary silence blanketing the conference area of Castle. "What about me?" questioned Bryce. "Aren't I part of the team?"

"As much as I hate to admit this, Severs didn't count on Larkin showing up giving us a slight advantage. Casey immediately turns his attention to Bryce who is wondering if he's part of the team which in his own mind he should be after what he did in order to save the two men. "As of right now, you are a part of the team but I need you to know one thing Bryce."

"What is it?"

"Check your ego at the door because we look out for each other instead of looking out only for yourself." Casey leans with a look of absolute seriousness and pokes him in the chest. "If I see even for one second you're not pulling your weight and not giving it your all I will personally shoot you in the head and bury your body where nobody can ever find it. Do I make myself clear!"

"Crystal." Bryce turns to look at Chuck and Sarah. They nod in acknowledgement because they need him to be at the top of his game and despite the issues he has had with all three of them he doesn't want to let any of them down. "Trust me. You can count on me."

"All right then. This is what each of us are going to do." he stated.

XXX

**Castle - Tuesday 7:30 p.m.**

So does everybody know what they're supposed to do?" asked Casey looking at all 3 individuals.

In the past 2 hour, they went over the plan and in order for it to work they all had to be absolutely precise at the roles they were going to play. There would be no room for error during this important mission because if they royally messed up in any way then they may quite possibly find themselves on the run. The plan itself involved a very detailed 4 step process.

The first step of the plan involves Bryce not only forging the documents in order to have Klinger released, but also forging General Beckman's signature as well. He has the tools provided for him in Castle along with documents with her signature on them. What he lacks in integrity and honesty he makes up for in being the type of guy who will stop at nothing, whether he's right or wrong, to save people, which he did when it came to protecting Chuck's best interest.

According to Chuck, Bryce exudes Neal Caffrey like qualities in which he has con man like abilites and has the skill set being that he's a professional spy who can without a doubt be able to pull it off. What he lacks in integrity and honesty he makes up for in charm, intelligence, personal magnetism that usually wins the heart of most anyone he meets including at one point Sarah Walker.

The second step of the plan has Chuck is creating some kind of temporary virus that will cause problems for certain key areas that are considerably important. The virus won't cause any havoc because after all he doesn't want to cause a riot to ensue within the detention facility itself. It just so happens that he created such a virus back in his college days aptly calling it "The Bartowski Special."

While they are busy with that, he's going to be hacking into the phone lines of the C.I.A Detention Center and re-routing the phone call in case the guards needs a valid authorization from Beckman herself. In order for him to get her voice, he'll rely on past voice mail messages and uploading them into the computer voice modulator located on the Castle's lap top so he can personal type in the exact response he wants to give.

Sarah have the dubious task of going into the C.I.A. Detention Center with Casey. Her main purpose is to use her feminine wiles to serve as a distraction while handing over the documents for his release with the forged signature of General Beckman if the guy in charge in charge possibly attempts to make a call. If Sarah fails, which is high unlikely, then its up to Chuck to work his magic by using Beckman's voice uploaded on to the computer voice modulator on Castle's lap top.

When it comes to Casey, he's in charge of finding alternate escape routes by pulling up the C.I.A. database so that he can look over the schematics of detention center. True, he has been there many times before but never really studied the place in detail. If things go well they will simply walk out of the front gate without any trouble and if things go bad then Sarah ultimately becomes back up for Casey, along with Klinger in their possession, fight their way out in find an alternate route out of the facility.

Essentially, everything hinges primarily on Chuck and Bryce doing a perfect job. To Chuck, the plan that Casey concocted is something out of a Steven Soderbergh

movie namely Ocean's 12 where one of the main premise is the gang stealing The Coronation Egg in exchange for the freedom of being debt free to Benedict. In this particular case, Maxwell Klinger represents The Coronation Egg in exchange for the freedom of Travis' kids.

All 3 nod to show they clearly understand the plan set out. There is a brief moment of silence as Casey stands there looking at the individuals in front of him. If he had to go into a C.I.A. Detention Center and break someone out this would be the team to do it with he thinks to himself. Although, he would replace Bryce with Travis but unfortunately he stuck with him and would have to rely on someone who he hardly even trusts.

"All right. We leave in approximately 25 minutes." said Casey glancing at his watch.

XXX

**Castle - Tuesday 7:35 p.m.**

Casey is kneeling in the middle of the dojo located in Castle. It's always been considered to him a place of solitude in order to gather his thoughts especially now with what he, Sarah, Chuck, and Bryce are about to do. After several moments of doing deep breathing exercises he opens his eyes, cracks his neck, and stands up but before he heads out he takes out his cell phone.

He stares at it for a few seconds and then shakes his head. "Damn you Bartowski." he muttered under his breathe.

He scrolls down his phone book until he finds the name he's looking for and pushes the call button. He waits for a few seconds and then hears the other line finally pick up. _"Hello?"_

"Hey, it's me." said Casey. "Just wanted to check in to see how you're doing?"

_"I'm fine."_ she replied. _"I'm also heavily armed too."_

"That's my girl." he grunted.

_"Glad to hear your doing okay. How is the rest of the team. Are they okay?"_ asked Jayne.

"They're hanging in there. With Travis taken out of the equation and now his kids taken hostage it's gotten complicated." he softly stated.

_"You guys will find a way. It's what you guys do best right?"_

"Affirmative."

_"How about you?"_ she inquired. _"Are you okay."_

"I'm still standing." Casey pauses for a brief moment. "Listen, in case things don't go as planned…"

Jayne immediately cuts Casey off. _"Things will go as planned. Just promise me something."_

Casey takes a deep breathe. "What it is?

_"Get the bastard who did this and make him pay. Show no mercy John."_

A smile appears on his face upon hearing that. "Is that all?"

_"No."_ There is a brief pause on the other end of the line. _"I've gotten used to seeing that mug of yours every time I wake up in the morning. I want you and your face return back safe and sound._

"Yes ma'am."

_"Semper fi John."_

"Oorah."

Casey hangs up with a smile on his face after talking with Jayne. As much as he hated to admit to himself, Chuck was about him feeling better if he talked with her. Of course, he wouldn't tell him because that would clearly making him even more annoying that he already is. The smile on his face suddenly falls flat as a look of absolute seriousness appears as he sticks his phone in his pocket and then heads out the dojo.

XXX

_**NOTE: HOPE YOU ENJOYED READING THIS CHAPTER CHUCK PEEPS. AS USUAL PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK!**_


	19. Crunch Time

**Van A Block Away From C.I.A. Detention Center - Tuesday 9:00 p.m.**

There is absolute silence amongst all 4 individuals in the van. Each of them are in their own little world as they prepare for what is about to happen. They all know what the risk factor is in their attempts to break out a highly dangerous assassin in order to exchange him for Travis and Shannon's 3 kids. However, despite the risk of suffering the fullest extent of the law they are putting it all on the line.

For Casey, he's already suffered the consequences of his actions committing treason when it pertained to being forced to help his former commander James Keller steal a pill from a lock box in a secure location that would be entered under the guise of a CIA training mission. He had no choice in the matter because Keller threatened the life of not only his former fiancé Kathleen, but also unbeknownst to him his daughter Alex as well.

He betrayed his country for a former love and he made the choice on his own. Casey chose love of country over love. The man who was once known as Alex Coburn gave up his entire life for the love of his country. All these years later John Casey once again made the decision to risk his career once again, but this time around he's doing it because the life of a 3 innocent children are at stake.

His life has been working for the government first as a marine then as an agent for the NSA. It's a life he's always known and anything else other than being just working for the government is considered mundane or quite frankly boring. Instead of focusing his attention in capturing black market weapons dealers his focus was now on capturing Buy More customers possibly interested in purchasing a Beastmaster grill.

True, it didn't give him the same satisfaction of busting a bad guy's head but it gave him the pleasure of busting up the sales of grills in the Burbank area. However, it wasn't just his cover job that he now grew accustomed as he settled into his civilian life. Casey glances over to his right at Chuck and Sarah who are sitting next to each other. He remembers sitting in his barren apartment trimming his bonsai tree and thinking to himself what are his options now that he was permanently sitting on the bench.

The talk with Chuck concerning going back to talk to his former fiancé and daughter was to him a futile attempt to reclaim a past that he turned his back on years ago. As painful as it was to do that he would undoubtedly make himself an example for Chuck to learn from. He still recalls like it was yesterday the words he told Chuck when it came to the situation involving Sarah.

_"You know I made my decision between love and love of country a long time ago. And it was the right decision for me. Now you have to make a decision whether it's the right one for you. Walker's a good woman. It's still not too late."_

As he looks down checking for the last time the C.I.A. Detention Center's schematics that have been downloaded on to his phone a hint of a smirk appears on his face. The idiot truly has come along way he thinks to himself. As a spy, he needs a bit more work to be at the level he's at but when it comes to the relationship Chuck has with Sarah he far surpasses him on all levels.

He had to admit to himself that the moron fought valiantly for Sarah as he was up against some pretty stiff competition one of them being the aforementioned Bryce Larkin. Casey went as so far as to help Chuck win her back. Needless to say it didn't go very well himself as he made matters worse to the point where he and Chuck got arrested but he redeemed himself in a very big way by going to Sarah's apartment.

_"You got a sec?" asks Casey._

_Casey notices she's somewhat hesitant but lets him in as if she's in a hurry. "Huh, yeah. Sure come on in." When he walks into her apartment the first thing he sees is all her clothes and a black bag on her bed telling him she's leaving. The question is with whom is she leaving with? "Can I get you a drink or anything" she asked._

_"No. no. I can't say I just want to come by and tell you something about Bartowski." he calmly states glancing behind him._

_"Well, if you came to plead his case then that's not really necessary."_

_"He didn't send me. He doesn't know I'm here." he quickly responds looking back down at the clothes on the bed being packed. "I just wanted to tell you something in case it changed anything." Casey pauses. "He didn't kill the mole."_

_"What?"_

_"I did." he firmly stated turning around to look Sarah eye to eye. "He didn't have the stone to pull the trigger. The kid's not a killer." As he takes a deep breathe, he could see Sarah taking all what he said in. "Just not wired that way unlike us. Just though you should know. See ya around." he said giving a hint of a smirk towards Sarah as he passes her heading straight for the door._

_"Casey."_

_He turns around to look at her with the mindset that the ball is in her court now. What are you going to do Walker he thinks to himself. "Yeah?"_

_"Thank you." Sarah soft said with a smile on her face._

_He softly grunts as he turns towards the door behind him. "You have a nice life Walker."_

Those were the last words that he said to Sarah when he walked out of her apartment. Even though he was no longer a spy, he accomplished a mission that was more personal than professional. Whether he liked it or not, he made a promise to Chuck's father to watch out for those two and so far he's been able to live up to his promise. Luckily, he got his job back after capturing the Ring Leader in France. It's at this point, Casey decides its time.

"You ready Walker?"

"Yeah." she responded. "Let's go."

Casey opens up the van door to step out and waits for Sarah to follow suit. Before she leaves, she leans over to give Chuck a kiss. The kiss causes both Casey and Bryce to roll their eyes. "Get a room!" the two men said in unison."

The kiss ends with Sarah looking deeply in Chuck's eyes. "We'll be back."

"You two be safe." stated Chuck with concern.

Sarah nods and steps out standing beside her partner. As Casey is about to close the van door the distant sound of a cell phone ringing. Chuck and Casey immediately look at each other knowing it is Severs on the other end. The veteran agent takes out the cell phone they found earlier in the day at Griffith Observatory. He answers it and immediately puts it on speaker phone for the others to hear. "I told you I will contact you once we have your teammate?"

_"I know."_

"Then why are you calling." asks Casey.

_"Just wanted to remind you who you're doing this for."_

"We know." interjects Chucked. "The 3 kids you abducted."

_"You're right Mr. Bartowski."_ Severs responded. _"However, I took the liberty of acquiring a bit of insurance just in case."_ All 4 people's eyes widen upon hearing that._ "I think you two know this person quite well."_

There is a brief on the other end of the line and then they suddenly hear the sound of a frantic female voice. "Hello…please somebody help me!"

Chuck's eyes widen upon hearing the female voice. "Chloe."

XXX

**Van A Block Away From C.I.A. Detention Center - Tuesday 9:01 p.m.**

"Chuck…" frantically said Chloe on the other end. "...is that you. Help me!" she added.

"Chloe are you okay?" quickly asked Chuck.

The quartet doesn't hear her respond back. Instead they once again hear the digitized voice of Severs sounding considerably smug on the other end. _"I care to say you have you're work cut out for you gentlemen. I will be waiting for your call."_ he said as the line clicks off.

There a brief moment of silence as all 4 stand there in stunned to the point of being absolutely speechless. This the last thing they expected to happen and for Severs to do this shows how devious he truly is Chuck thinks to himself. In his mind, Severs will stop at nothing to somehow get the upper hand even if it means abducting someone as sweet and innocent as Chloe.

Chuck couldn't fathom what she must be going through right now. She's already been through enough emotionally as she saw on tv Travis' house on fire. The attachment she established with his kids she thinks are dead have most definitely caused her grain pain but little does she know they're very much alive and in the clutches of the very same man who abducted her.

In addition to that, she experienced being shot at in her own home by a group of individuals who Casey said were a bunch of gang members that were quite possibly doing it for an initiation.. It's a lot to take in just one day he thinks to himself. He can attest to that because of the situation he, along with Casey, have experienced not just physically and mentally but emotionally as well.

Casey mentioned to Chloe that she was clearly flirting with him but from his view point she was just being a nice. To him, its flattering to know that a woman like her is attracted to him. True, she is physically attractive and as a guy you would be blind not to see how beautiful a woman she is but like he told Casey that he only has eyes for Sarah. Like he made a promise to Leah, he would make the same promise to Chloe as well. _Stay strong Chloe because we're coming for you too._

As Bryce looks around at Chuck, Casey, and Sarah, a look of curiosity appears on his face at the woman he heard on the other end of the line. "Who is Chloe?" he asked.

"Travis and Shannon's nanny." replied Sarah.

"She's also another objective just added to the list of people to save." spitted out Casey expressing anger in his voice.

"I thought she was going to stay with her parents since Severs shot up her home?" said Chuck.

"I guess she didn't make it." responded Bryce.

All 3 immediately look at Bryce the minute he said it. Bryce knew that he clearly stuck his foot in his mouth. As much as he wanted to apologize for what he said he decided to just keep his mouth shut because if tried to say something to rectify the situation he could quiet possibly dig himself more into a hole that he's already in. He looks over at Chuck who just stares at him and then turns to look at Casey and Sarah.

"This just got even more complicated." Chuck's stated shaking his head in disbelief.

Complicated isn't even the word to describe the situation they suddenly find themselves Casey thinks to himself. He truly didn't count on Severs doing something so bold as that so late in the game but to be perfectly honest it didn't surprise him at all. Yet, it doesn't stop his resolve for doing what they have to knowing there's another person that is relying on them to get her, as well as the 3 kids out.

"We've dealt with complications before." answered Casey. "It's just a matter of focusing our efforts even more on bringing all 4 people out of harms way."

"It's a trap." firmly stated the blonde beauty. "Even though he's going to set the 3 kids and Chloe free he still will come after the two of you." she emphasized.

Sarah is right Casey thinks to himself. Even if they do make the exchange Severs will find a way to either grab the two of them taking the he and Chuck out personally or having one of his men do it possibly execution style. He knows they have to take it one step at a time and right now they have to get Severs' teammate Klinger out before even seeing Severs, which Casey is looking forward to.

"We can't think of that right now." replied Casey. "Our first priority is Klinger and we're relying on you Chuck to make sure you'll be able to pull it off in case they need a valid recognition for Beckman herself." he said putting in an earwig in his right ear.

All 3 do the same as well leading Chuck to respond to Casey. "You can count on me big guy."

"How about me?" asked Bryce. "You know you can't on me too."

"Maybe." retorted Casey. "Its just a matter of seeing how good of a forger you really are. If this works good for you and if it doesn't I'm…"

Bryce quickly interjects. "You're going to shoot me is that it?"

"No." Casey directs his attention from Bryce to Chuck. "Bartowski will shoot you." he said closing the van door shut.

XXX

**Outside The C.I.A. Detention Center - Tuesday 9:30 p.m.**

The Crown Vic, with Casey and Sarah inside, approach the brightly lit monstrosity that is the C.I.A. Detention Center. On the outside, the facility somewhat resembles the real life prison from the movie Shawshank Redemption. Instead of prisoner like Andy Dufresne and Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding inhabiting the prisoner cells there are high profile dangerous prisoners they themselves put in their such as Mr. Colt.

As both agents get out of the Crown Vic, they knew there would be a point of no return as soon as they step through massive chain linked fence. The walk towards the gate felt like a long arduous trek that seemingly went on forever and each step they took is a step towards either failure of success. The two seasoned agents refused think about what would happen if they failed and solely focused on the success of the mission.

"Are you ready Bartowski?" calmly stated Casey.

_"I'm booted up and already tapped into the phone lines." _replied Chuck. _"If a call is made I'll be able to quickly re-route the call to my location."_ he added.

"You can do this Chuck." chimed in Sarah. "I have faith in you. Just relax."

_"Thanks. I'll do my best Sarah." _he nervously retorted back.

"All right zip it." Casey firmly stated. "We're about to head in."

The two partners approach and stand in front of the first set of the mechanized chain link fence. They both look up squinting a bit from the lights shining down on both of them aa the surveillance camera showing their ID's in the process. After a brief moment, the first gate opens leading the two agents to step through heading towards the second get just few yards ahead.

As they continue towards the second chain linked fence the first one they came through closes behind them. Casey and Sarah calmly trek their way under the bright lights that are shining down on the cemented walkway. The NSA Agent glances up to see armed guards perched atop towers with spotlights located in certain areas of the detention center and walking along the grounds as well.

On the outside they're exuding a stone cold demeanor that doesn't tip off to others there absolutely nothing wrong and they're here to do to business like usual. When Casey and Sarah reach the already open chain linked fence they are met by the officer in charge and much to the chagrin of Sarah the officer is a female rather than a male, which completely throws off what Sarah is supposed to do.

Its at that point, Sarah glances at Casey who immediately knows what she is thinking as they would have to deviate from the plan, which a spy will find himself or herself suddenly doing in the field. Fortunately, the female officer in charge happens to be attracted to the best damn partner she has ever had. Sarah hands over the manila folder with the forged documents over to Casey who already knows what's expected of him.

"Agent John Casey…" the female guard said. "…what brings you and your handsome face down here at this time of night?"

Upon saying that, Casey hears a clearly audible snicker in his earwig causing him to force a smile on his face as he responds to the female guard standing in front of him. "Well Officer Clancy Norton, my partner Agent Walker and I are here to have someone released into our custody. The prisoner's name is…" Casey opens the manila folder pretending to scan for the name. "…Maxwell Klinger."

"Do you have the documents for his release with General Beckman's signature." she asked.

"Of course." he replies. Casey takes out the documents for Klinger's release and hands them over to Norton who he sees giving it a look over. "I'm always prepared whenever I come to see you." he flirtatiously added.

As the flirtatious interaction is going on between the two of them, Sarah is trying to refrain from laughing because she can clearly hear Bryce and Chuck laughing in her earwig. She does her best to stay stone faced as they continue bantering with each other. "Everything looks good here so let's step inside and head to Klinger's cell shall we."

Casey immediately motions with his right hand for Sarah and Officer Norton to step through the mechanized chain link fence. "Ladies first." he saod slightly tilting his head and smiling at the female officer.

"Such a gentlemen." she responded looking over her right shoulder towards Sarah.

Officer Norton steps through the 2nd mechanized chain linked fence followed by Sarah who raises her right eyebrow as he glances up at Casey. "You don't know the half of it." she replied.

Casey gives a nod acknowledging to his female partner as he follows the two women in front of him. All three individuals head towards the main door of the Detention Center. They were able to survive the first hurdle of Casey's plan as Officer Norton approved the documents with Beckman's signature that were forged by Bryce. The next step is lies ahead as they retrieve Klinger and walk out without Officer Norton calling Beckman. Easier said than done.

XXX

**The Hallways Of The C.I.A. Detention Center - Tuesday 9:50 p.m.**

The walk down the hallways in the C.I.A. Detention Center would be a familiar one at that for Team Chuck, especially for Sarah and Casey. Each cell door holds behind it a prisoner they personally captured themselves and from the intense stares of death being directed towards the two of them from the open slot they were clearly not welcome with open arms.

After walking for several minutes Casey, Sarah, Officer Norton, and 2 additional male guards finally arrive at Klinger's cell door. The male guard steps in front of the door with key in hand and unlocks it. When the cell door opens up Casey and Sarah see a very familiar face sitting on his bed leaning back against the wall looking directly at one of the two agents responsible for putting him in the cell.

"Agent Casey." Klinger gruffly said. He leans forwards looking around and then turns his attention back towards Casey. "Where is Chuck?"

"Don't worry about him Klinger. I'm here with Agent Walker and you're to be released into our custody." he firmly stated.

"Is that so." replies Klinger leaning back against the wall placing both his hands behind his head. "If I may ask where am I going?"

"That is none of your concern." Sarah replied back. "We just do what General Beckman orders us to do."

"I see." Klinger responded. "I find that interesting because from what I've been able to ascertain concerning you and your team is that you tend to break orders." he added. "I hear the scuttle butt around here especially when it concerns Team Chuck. Someone has put you on their hit list and for some reason you need me. Why?"

"Again…" Casey emphatically stated. "…as Agent Walker stated previously we are under orders by General Beckman to attain you and for the record it doesn't relate to whatever situation that you may have possibly heard."

A look curiosity appears on Officer Norton's face as she stands there to the side listening to the conversation between Klinger and the two agents in front of her. She shrugs it off thinking Klinger is just harboring resentment towards Casey. She nods at the 2 additional guards that accompanied 3 of them to his cell. It took a moment or two for Klinger to be placed in not only wrist but ankle restraints but not before being thoroughly frisked from head to toe with a cavity search in order to find something that could possibly used to free himself.

In Casey's mind, you have to be doubly sure that when you transporting a high profile assassin such as Maxwell Klinger he doesn't have the ability to not only escape but kill you as well. They head towards the front door with Klinger placed in between the two of them. From the looks of things they are home free but just as they are about to reach the door Officer Norton stops them.

"You know what." Casey, Sarah, and Klinger turn around to face the female guard. "I'm going to check in with General Beckman just to be on the safe side. You don't mind do you Agent Casey."

Casey immediately shakes his head as he responds to Officer Norton with confidence in his voice. "Go ahead and contact General Beckman."

It's at this point, Chuck prepares himself as a call is being placed to General Beckman but he re-routes it his location. After answering the call, he quickly responds to Officer Norton in a high pitched female tone. "General Beckman's office please hold."

Chuck glances over at Bryce who gives him a thumbs up as he starts typing away on the lap top. It takes a few seconds but he is able to type out what General Beckman might possibly say if he were her. "This is General Beckman. May I ask whose calling?"

_"Yes General this is Officer Clancy Norton from the Detention Center."_ she said. _"Sorry to disturb you during this time ma'am._

Chuck furiously types away on the lap top and then presses enter. "No, you aren't disturbing me. I've been doing some important paperwork. Is there anything I can help you with Officer Norton?"

_"Yes I have two of your agents here…" _she replied turning to look at the two of them. _"…Agent Casey and Walker. Just wanted to clarify that you ordered the release of Maxwell Klinger. Is that correct?"_

"Yes, that is correct Officer Morton."

_"Its Norton ma'am. Officer norton."_

Chuck eyes widen at the apparent mistake as he quickly typed away on the lap top. He pauses for a moment to look at Bryce who is screaming at him and pointing like a madman to do something. He quickly types the following words and presses enter. "Did I say Morton?"

_"Yes ma'am you did."_

"I apologize. Swamped with paperwork."

_"No need ma'am. I understand the long hours you must be experiencing. May I suggest a vacation."_

"You know I was thinking about…"

Bryce immediately slaps Chuck in the left arm causing an incoherent word to heard by Officer Norton. _"Excuse me ma'am?"_

As Chuck argues with Bryce he quickly responds back to the female guard. "Nothing, its not important. I congratulate you on being thorough Officer Norton. I will keep a close eye on you. Keep up the excellent work."

_"Thank you General."_

"Beckman out."

Bryce immediately leans forward with a questionable look on his face? "Beckman out?"

Chuck doesn't even respond to Bryce as he closes the lap top, lifts it up, and bangs his head against the top it. While he is doing that, Casey and Sarah calmly walk a shackled Klinger out of the Detention Center and into the back seat of Casey's Crown Vic. A few moment later they arrive at the van where Chuck and Bryce are standing outside. Casey retrieves Klinger from the back seat and escort him to where Chuck, Bryce, and now Sarah are standing.

"Ah Chuck, its nice to see you again."

"I wish I could say the same Klinger." he quickly replied. "So what's the next step Casey?"

"Call Severs and tell him where to meet in order to make the exchange." he stated.

"I knew it." replied Klinger. He shuffles forward towards Bryce and Chuck then turns around facing Casey. "I had a hunch it was Severs. I have to hand it to you Agent Casey and your team…"

Casey doesn't even let Klinger finish what he's going to say as he reaches behind him retrieving his tranq gun. He shoots him in the neck. In an instant he passes out falling back towards Chuck and Bryce who catch him. Chuck look down at an unconscious Klinger and then back up towards Casey. "What do we do with him?"

He points over to Sarah Porsche located on the other side of the van. "Put him in the trunk?" he replied taking out the cell phone in order contact Severs.

"Why my trunk?"

"Because…" Casey pauses as he steps forward and then turns around to face the 3 individual behind him. "…you and Chuck are going to make the exchange while Larkin and I go back to Castle in order to stock up on weapons."

XXX

_**NOTE: HOPE YOU ENJOYED READING THIS CHAPTER PEEPS! THE STORY IS PICKING UP! AS USUAL PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK!**_


	20. The Swerve

**Sarah's Porsche - Tuesday 10:00 p.m.**

The drive towards the location of where the exchange would be going down has Chuck and Sarah in a heightened state of awareness, especially now after pulling off a rogue mission in which they broke Maxwell Klinger out of a C.I.A. Detention Center without raising any suspicions or alarms for matters. As amazed and proud they are in accomplishing the mission they know they aren't done yet. Before heading out to the rendezvouz point Casey gave him the cell phone given to them by Severs.

The man who they broke out is currently in the trunk knocked out by one John Casey after he shot him with a tranq dart. Failure was not an option at this point after the effort they all put into getting him out. Chuck would finally meet not only in person the man responsible for putting he and Casey through absolute hell, but also took the life of three people two of them being their former teammate/friend, as well as his wife.

As Sarah turns the corner onto another street, Chuck is quietly sitting in the passenger seat lost in deep in thought as he feels the wind not only on his face but also in his hair as its being blown back. To him, it's felt quite refreshing after all he's been through to the point where he momentarily closed his eyes to take in the brief moment of tranquility he's feeling. However, the considerably tranquil moment wouldn't last long.

Chuck began to feel an overwhelming sense of emotion within him. To him, the focus on the challenges given to him and Casey helped keep his mind distracted from the lives lost but now after things have somewhat settled down it became difficult to keep what he's been bottling up inside. He leans his head back closing his eyes and the same time he does that he reaches up to rub his forehead.

Sarah glances over and notices what is transpiring with her fiancé. "Hey…" she softly said reaching over rubbing Chuck's right knee. "…you okay?"

"With all that has happened recently I haven't had time to just sit down and think about it." he replied. "But sitting here for awhile it just suddenly hit me you know."

A concerned look appears on her face as she tries to comfort the man she loves. "I know sweetie." she replied continuing to rub his knee. "It's a lot to take in one day, especially with the death of Travis and Shannon." Sarah added.

"It's still engrained in my mind. I dropped him off at his house and then a few seconds later the explosion happens." he sullenly stated shaking his head.

The blonde agent reaches up and rubs the top of his left shoulder. She so wants to pull over to not only give him a hug but also let him release the emotions he's been bottling up inside. However, being the trained spy that she is Sarah knows he has to keep it together because right now they needed to be at the designated location where Casey informed the two of them and Severs to be at.

"You couldn't have known Chuck. People like Severs are cold and ruthless killers. They don't care who they hurt as long as they get the job done." she said. "You have to remain strong and as much as you want to grieve now is not the right time."

Chuck opens his eyes and slowly turns his head to look at Sarah whose hair is blowing in the wind. He can see the look of worry and concern on her angelic face as she glances at him. "You know that's what Casey said."

"Really?" she responded with curiosity. Sarah reaches over and intertwines her right hand with Chuck's left. As she holds his hand, she rubs her thumbs across the top of his causing him to be somewhat relaxed in that particular moment. "What did he say exactly?"

"He basically told me it's hard to deal with but you cope and push through it the best you can."

"Casey's right." she responded.

"It makes me wonder."

"How so?"

"Before we met, how did you cope as a spy and you can be brutally honest with me." said Chuck.

"Well…" Sarah is a bit hesitant to tell Chuck how she was able to cope in the field but she promised herself that wouldn't be any secrets between the two of them. She already shared with him about how she was able to cope when it came to the relationship between her father and sister. "…I used sex as my coping mechanism with Bryce."

Sarah glances over to get a reaction from Chuck and to her surprise he's taking it with stride. "I understand."

"You do?"

"Yeah." he said nodding his head. "You were a different person back then" Chuck squeezes Sarah's hard as he gives her a reassuring smile. "You're in a business where you're nearly get killed and with all the emotions your feeling you want to release them in some way physically instead of verbally, which meant being with Bryce. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to give you the release that you truly needed and I just don't mean in the physical sense.

"I know and I give all that credit to you." she said with a wide on her face. "I feel much better know you are the only guy who can help me cope not just physically but mentally and emotionally as well.

"You're welcome." nodded the successful business owner.

"Anyways, getting back to Casey. What else did he say?" questioned Sarah quirking her right brow.

"Well he's lost soldiers/agents under his command in the field of battle and what he was taught that when the battle was over then you can mourn for those who have died." Chuck pauses for a second to take a quick breathe. "He also said the battle isn't over yet so stay focused."

"It's part of what being a spy is about. As difficult as it to do, you have to train yourself to push your emotions down to the point where you incapable of feeling anything." Sarah knows all too what it means to keep her emotions bottled up both professionally and personally. The inner turmoil she went through experiencing a myriad of feelings and emotions such as anger, confusion, bitterness, sadness, jealousy, as well as love all mainly centered around the man who is sitting next her. "Yet, the thing I'm glad about is that even though you're a spy like me and Casey you're still Chuck. You're still my Chuck." she responded squeezing his hand.

"Do you still remember what you said to me concerning how different Casey and I are."

"I do?" she says smiling at him. "I looked you in the eyes and I told you I'd much rather have you be the man you are rather than be the man you're not." answered Sarah.

"What else?" I distinctly remember there being more to that." smirked Chuck.

Sarah shakes her head and lets out a hint of laughter. "What I was going to say before I was so rudely interrupted was that there are a million other Casey's in the world but there's one of you and I'm very happy about that."

Upon saying that, Chuck leans his head forward with a smile on his face. "And I'm very glad there is one of you as well Sarah Walker." he said clutching her hand in his and kissing the top of it." he says. "Thank you."

"No problem." responded Sarah.

XXX

**Casey's Crown Vic - Tuesday 10:05 p.m.**

Casey sits behind the wheel of his Crown Vic heading towards Castle in order to retrieve additional fire power. As he's driving, the events of the entire day run through his mind as he grips the steering wheel with both hands. From the very start, Severs' plan all along has been to intentionally wear he and Chuck down in order to get them make mistakes to where it costs them their lives.

He had to admit to himself that early on he did nearly make the mistake of going with his gut instead of listening to Chuck when it concerned the clue that would direct the two of them to Mulholland Drive. Yet, he was adamant that he knew the clue and they would be going to Winkies Restaurant in El Segundo Blvd. A place where he has not only passed so many times, but ate there a few times before with Jayne.

When Chuck took the keys out of the ignition the first thing that he thought was that he's a dead man. In his mind, to even attempt a stunt like that would cause the person severe bodily harm and it took a lot of balls on Chuck's parts to do what he did. Yet, he stood his ground in order to convince him that he was dead wrong in assuming he got the clue right without even going over the entire clue and for he gives much respect.

As Casey thought about his time at Mulholland Drive where he and Chuck were locked in car ready to blow up, he again had to commend him for not completely freaking out. There came a point where he had the urge to knock him out by punching him in the face because he was babbling on like an idiot. However, the NSA agent had to hand it to him for being able to think quick of a plausible escape for the two of them.

He wouldn't have been able to even consider the trunk as a way to escape if it wasn't for Chuck's knowledge about cars. Even though he isn't a car guy he was able to give the most important information needed at the time which is that a 2009 Honda Civic has a safety latch just in case a moron locks himself in the trunk. Hey, there are times where having a nerd at your disposal comes in handy Casey thinks to himself.

Fast forward to being stuck in a helicopter with Chuck. For him, it was an absolute torture being thousands of feet in the air alone with him because he had to tune him out while piloting the copter and it was tough to do both. To be perfectly honest, he had an easier time being stuck in an elevator with 2 other people 73 floors up than being in a helicopter with 1 person who wouldn't stop screaming like a girl.

However, he had to give him his due for being able to pull off such a risky plan that Chuck himself believed would work despite his own doubts. The live/die ratio was set at 40/60 just before passing out at 45,000 ft and much to his surprise he was still alive. The one thing he disliked about waking up though was Chuck looking down at him and of all the things to see when regaining consciousness its that goofy smile of his.

What's more irritating than his goofy smile is his laugh, especially when he's laughing at his expense. He could clearly hear the two of them giggling like little girls in his earwig and he had to restrain himself from threatening not only him with bodily harm but Bryce as well during his attempt at flirting with Officer Norton, which he considered an absolute success.

No matter what Sarah thinks about his seductions skills, they are up to par because Officer Norton slipped her number into the manila folder before they left. Casey's thoughts turn from a woman giving her number to calling a number in order to make an exchange. An exchange involving 1 dangerous scumbag for 4 innocent human beings who are merely a means to an end.

In the back of his mind, he knows it's a trap and that is why he has to quickly make it too Castle, change, stock up on the essentials needed in order to reek havoc, and then head straight back to where the exchange is taking place. It's a place of his choosing where there are countless escape routes in case things turn ugly and it would give he, along with Bryce, enough time to even the odds when it concerns Severs' men.

The place he chose for a rendezvous point is The Port Of Los Angeles at the end of The Warehouse Distribution Center. Its pretty much open and if push comes to shove the best escape route is to dive into the water leaving you to swim for your life while avoiding being shot at. Once the exchange is made then its open season on bad guys for he and Bryce, which he is eagerly anticipating.

Casey's thoughts suddenly focuses on the proverbial cockroach Bryce Larkin. He has been able to live up to his word even though his word has been considerably suspect in the beginning. As he looks into the rear view mirror, he doesn't see the black van behind him causing him to quickly look back leading his jaw to clinch up, an annoyed look appears on his face, and audibly expresses a grunt that is clearly directed at a man who just wants to be shot.

The decorated Marine with a relatively short fuse presses on the earwig in his ear and attempts to contact him. "Larkin where are you?" he angrily statesd.

XXX

**The Black Van - Tuesday 10:10 p.m.**

The earwig that was supposed to be in Bryce's ear sat on the passenger side of the black van as he sits behind the driver's seat with one hand on the wheel. As much as he gave his word to being a team player he has always liked to spice things up and make the situation considerably complicated than it already is, which for him makes the situation itself more fun.

A man like him always has ulterior motives and hidden agendas that cause others to question his actions. He's a spy who has made deals with unsavory people and whether it was right or wrong it was all for the greater good for the country. In addition to that, he's also made personal deals that he hasn't been proud of but they had to be done because it was important to him.

When he came into town the first thing he wanted to do was go see Sarah. When he found out that she no longer lives in her apartment and moved in with Chuck he thought it would have been in with his sister Ellie and her husband Devon. Much to his surprise he not only moved out and bought his own place in Santa Monica, but opened his own business like he dreamed of doing back in college.

Bryce knew in order for him to see Sarah, he had to find Chuck and he found him all right running early in the morning with someone unfamiliar to him. Whoever he was he didn't fit in the whole scheme of things because all he really needed was the one person who could bring him to Sarah. It took a bit of impromptu planning on his part but he was able to pull off an entrance that he considered absolutely memorable like all his entrances have been in the past.

He thoroughly enjoyed freaking out his former roommate as it gave him the satisfaction to know that the Chuck he knew hadn't completely changed. However, he was surprised that he grew more in confidence and did something he never thought he would do. He stood up to him and is seemingly more forceful than the Chuck of old, which is a side of him that simply amuses him.

What amused him even more was that her former partner the great Sarah Walker has actually become domesticated. The woman who enjoyed the thrill of jumping out of planes and being the first to run into a firefight would rather settle down and become someone's wife. In his own opinion, its not who she is and if she thinks otherwise then she's simply fooling herself because you can't escape being a killer.

Before being grabbed by the throat and slammed against the wall by Casey, he saw the pictures taken with her in it. It was hard to believe but he witnessed before his very eyes by the pictures hanging on the wall showing how happy she is with the new life she had made for herself. There was a time when they were partners she would fake that happiness to the point where it nearly fooled him.

She was that damn good and could very still be if it weren't for the relationship she established with Chuck holding her back. She made the wrong decision in staying in Burbank instead of going with away with in order to fight Fulcrum he thinks to himself. Yet, she made it and in his mind she is paying for the consequences she has made because she chose Chuck over him.

True, he admitted to Sarah he is jealous of Chuck and even though he said the best man won in his head he said words that would have followed out loud for her to hear…for now. He has always been a patient man and has used the time to his advantage so that he could get the information he needed. It was a matter of gaining the trust of all three of them and needless to say he did proving that in in times of intense situations you end up making allies out of enemies.

Whether his hacking skills were a bit rusty or not, only he knows because he's the type of person who likes to make things interesting. What he constitutes now is certainly interesting and though he didn't want it to come down this way it needed to be done. Bryce's thoughts are suddenly interrupted when his cell phone rings. He takes it out of his pockets and answers it placing it against his right ear. "Yeah." Bryce pauses for moment to listen. "Don't worry I'll be there. I'm just taking little a detour." he said with a smirk on his face.

XXX

**The Port of Los Angeles - Warehouse Distribution Center - Tuesday 10:40 p.m.**

The atmosphere is eerily calm at The Port of Los Angeles with the moon clearly reflecting off the still water that surrounds the area. The cemented path at which they drove down the Warehouse Distribution Center towards the far end of the pier is semi lit making it somewhat difficult to visually recognize someone in the distance, especially in the dark.

Parked at the end of the pier sit Chuck and Sarah awaiting the arrival of Severs with the 4 innocent victims he deliberately took hostage. The have been sitting in the car for the past 15 minutes and the longer they wait the more anxious they become. Everything they've been though has practically led up to this point in time. Every so often Chuck would either look at his watch or phone for the exact time.

To Sarah the situation is already considerably tense and for Chuck to nervously check for the time every few seconds made the situation itself even more tense. She noticed he is about to do it again when reaches over to stop him. "Stop doing that." she said.

"I'm sorry." responded Chuck as he sticks his Iphone back in his pocket. "Its just that Casey specifically told Severs the exchange would be made at 10:45 p.m. and the last I checked the time is 10:43 p.m.

"He'll be here." Sarah stares straight ahead as she continues to talk to Chuck sitting right beside her. She reaches over to hold his hand and squeezes it not only to reassure him that everything is going to work out. "If its one thing we have been able to ascertain about Severs is that he favors the quality of time."

"You got that right." responded Chuck. "The clues that have sent us to certain challenges Casey and I have been on concern being right on time at an exact location." he added. "If he were a Batman villain he would most definitely be the Clock King Temple Fugate."

Sarah turns to give a hint of a smile towards her nerdy fiancé concerning his knowledge of all things Batman or Batman related. To be perfectly honest, it's one of the things that is considered most endearing about him as he has this innocence about him that is absolutely special and she would stop at nothing in order to protect it from ever being taken away from him.

Her attention on Chuck would soon be interrupted by a pair of headlights suddenly shining in the distance catching her attention. She looks down at her watch to see that its exactly 10:45 on the dot. The distance between them is similar to that of a football field as the vehicles are taking their time as it slowly makes its way towards their exact location.

She lets go of Chuck's and within the darkness the sound of the handle of a weapon being pulled back is heard. Its that sound that Chuck has heard many times before but this time its different because the stakes are much higher this time. He glances over at Sarah and notices that the smile of a concerned fiance' she exuded just moments ago is no longer there.

The woman who is now sitting to his left is the hard nosed C.I.A. Agent and by the look in her eyes it is most definitely not the time to be joking around. The somewhat calm, playful atmosphere within the Porsche is suddenly replaced by the deafing sound of absolute silence as all of Sarah's focus is directed towards the two vehicles slowly but surely approach their location.

The eagle like stare she has on vehicle is unwavering as the headlights grow increasingly brighter the closer it approaches to the point where it causes both of them to shield their eyes. In Sarah's mind, Severs is intentionally doing that in oder to get the upper hand. From Sarah's view point, all she can make is that its a dark van and after a few moments it stops several feet away.

Its at that point, Sarah glances over at Chuck giving him a nod inevitably signaling him its time and as they both are about to head out the two of the them hear the unmistakeable ring tone of Severs' phone. Chuck takes out the cell phone and immediately answers it. "Yeah."

_"Do you have what I want?" _demanded the digitized voice.

To Chuck, he doesn't know why Severs is still masking his voice knowing full well the game is over. He makes the decision to let him know that they know who he really is. "We do Severs." Chuck pauses as he glances over at Sarah. "Elliot Severs. Yeah we know who you really so let's stop playing games shall we. Let's just make the exchange." he emphatically stated.

There is a pause on the other end of the line causing Chuck to silently wonder if it was wise to do what he just did. Suddenly, the two of them see a dark figure step out of the passenger side door but are unable to make out who it is because of how bright the headlights are. Sarah nods at Chuck leading both of them to step out of the Porsche as well.

Sarah walks back to the trunk, opens it, and retrieves a considerably groggy Klinger from inside. She forcefully guides him to her right where Chuck is standing at the edge of the peir still on the phone. "Let's do this Severs." he emphatically stated quickly glancing at Sarah.

_"You broke the rules Chuck."_

"What?" questioned Chuck.

_"I was lead to believe it would be you and Agent Casey that would be doing making the exchange."_

Chuck shakes his head upon hearing that. "Well you got me and Agent Walker instead. So deal with it."

_"Do you remember what I said to you in the beginning of the game Chuck. If you break the rules prepare to suffer the consequences."_

"Listen you son of a..." Chuck doesn't even finish his sentence when the sound of gunfire is heard leading Sarah to suddenly get hit several times in the chest causing her to stumble backwards dropping her gun the process. The horror in Chuck's eyes as he locks eyes with Sarah as she falls back dropping down into the water below. "Sarah!" he screamed.

Chuck is in absolute stunned belief at this point as he continues to stare down at the area of the water where she fell. He doesn't realize the phone is still at his ear leading him to hear the digitized voice actually laugh at what just happened. He slowly drops the phone to his side as tears begin falling down his cheek. As this is happening, he hears the distinct sound of footsteps coming towards him and then stop.

He shakes his head not believing what has just happened. Chuck glances at Klinger who is on the ground looking up at him with a smirk on his face. He's in utter shock at this point as he slowly turns around expecting to see Severs standing in front of him but who he sees is in front of him causes his eyes to completely widen.

"You? It was you behind this whole thing?" he said in disbelief towards the person with the smoking weapon in their right hand. Chuck still can't believe what just happened and as he continues to shake his head in utter disbelief he can only come up with one question as he looks at the person responsible. "Why Chloe?"

XXX

_**NOTE: OKAY HOW MANY OF YOU THOUGH IT WAS BRYCE? ANYWAYS HOPE YOU ENJOYED READING THIS CHAPTER. AS USUAL PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK?**_


	21. Life and Death

**The Port of Los Angeles - Warehouse Distribution Center - Tuesday 10:50 p.m.**

Chuck feels absolutely numb all over. He not only just witnessed with his own two eyes the love of his life gets shot point blank in the chest and falls back into the water below, but he found out who has been behind the whole thing. It's a complete surprise to him to find out that the person who has been making run through hoops is last person he ever expected to be the bad guy…Chloe.

The woman who has been a nanny for Travis and Shannon's kids for over 6 months and loves them to death is responsible for kidding them. He has gotten to know her, interacted with her, and she even celebrated Sarah's birthday at their house. He's feeling a mixture of anger, confusion and absolute utter disbelief as he stands there just a few feet away from her.

"Why?" answered Chloe with a smirk. "Well, first answer me this question." Still in shock, Chuck watches as she begins pacing back and forth in front of him and by the look on her face she is enjoying the fact she pulled one over on him. "How did you know the name of Elliot Severs?"

"Process of elimination." he responded. Since the 8 of clubs is dead and Ace of Spades is…" Chuck pauses in order to quickly glance to his left and then correct himself. "…was in a C.I.A Detention Center that left 3 remaining cards."

"So you did your research. I'm impressed."

"It wasn't easy but we stumbled on assassinations in 2004 with similar patterns involving what you have been forcing Casey and I to do for practically the entire day." he spitted out.

"What can I tell you I learned from the best." she retorted with a smug look on her face.

Chuck knows he is running out of precious time. Time that unfortunately was up for Sarah who met her demise at the hands of a woman who they both treated like family. In his mind, that is considered an act of betrayal deemed absolutely unforgivable and there would be a special place in hell for a person such as herself. He set aside those thoughts aside to focus on the matter at hand which is to keep Chloe talking long enough for Casey and Bryce to arrive.

"Who is Severs to you?" questioned Chuck.

"He is my father."

Chuck shakes his head disputing what Chloe just said. "You can't be his daughter. We checked Severs' file and it never mentioned he has a family to speak of."

"To me he felt like a father. He treated me like a daughter." she responded back. "I was living on the streets and I attempted to steal from him. Needless to say he caught me but instead of killing me he offered to give me shelter and in return he took me under his wing training to be an assassin."

"Where is Severs by the way?" interjected Klinger.

Chloe glances slightly over to Chuck's right at Klinger on the ground. "Six feet under."

"What happened?" questioned Klinger. "Do you kill him?"

"No." she responded with disgust. "I would never do that to him. He died of pancreatic cancer 8 months ago." added the trained assassin. "When he died I took over with the approval of The Dealer."

"Severs loved his alcohol." he said. "You will be missed my friend."

So there is someone in charge of these guys Chuck thinks to himself. Casey has had his suspicions for quite some time concerning that there is a mastermind behind the creation of Dead Man's Hand. Even though there wasn't any conclusive evidence at the time there is now with Chloe confirming his or her existence. It would be only a matter of time before he and Team Chuck come face to face.

"Uncuff him and take him to the van." ordered Chloe to one of her henchmen.

Chuck sees one of her appear behind her and passes her by walking towards his location. He retrieves Klinger placing him insider the van. As she turns to watch him being place in the van by one of her men he takes the opportunity to redirect her attention back to him. "You never answered my question Chloe." he firmly stated. "Why?"

"Simple." she grinned. "I wanted to prove myself and take out the legendary team that is responsible for killing Templar and putting Klinger over there in a C.I.A. Detention Center."

"We weren't responsible for Templar's death." Chuck quickly said. "He was killed by his own people possibly by orders from your own boss."

Chloe shakes her head in disappointment. "Regardless who killed him I am going to make a name for myself when I take you out like I did your precious Sarah Walker." she arrogantly stated. "I will be respected for what I have already accomplished."

"You accomplished nothing." he emphatically stated. "Casey is still out there and so is one other agent who knows we are out here."

"They will meet the same fate as your beloved Sarah Walker." she arrogantly answered. She expresses a hint of laughter as she points her finger at him. "You should have seen the look on your face when you turned around and saw me. It was priceless." grinned Chloe. After months of plotting, planning, and getting my own house riddle with bullets was all worth it in the end."

A sudden realization sets in as he reflects back on that particular moment she is speaking of. "The phone call wasn't your family checking up on you." he said. "You were signaling your men to send a message not kill us at the risk of getting shot yourself."

"It worked did it. You two fools fell for it hook, line and sinker."

"So everything about how if I wasn't with Sarah you would snatch me up was purely for my benefit." questioned Chuck.

"What do you think." retorted Chloe. "I had to keep myself from puking when I said that. Do you honestly believe a woman like myself would fall for a guy like you?"

"You…" Chuck pauses and shakes his head. "…no. You're attractive but not my type."

"Please…" she responded with an insulted look on her face. "…I am every man's type. You know what I don't get?"

"The ending to Lost?" he sarcastically answered.

Chloe stares at him for a brief moment. "What I don't get is what Agent Walker sees in you. It doesn't make any sense to me."

"Hey, chicks dig nerds." responded Chuck with a hint of a smirk on his face.

"Well…" she said walking slowly towards Chuck and standing a foot away from him. "…your chick is at the bottom of the water behind you." Chloe emphatically stated with a grin on her face. She watches as the smirk on his face falls flat and the look of absolute anger is seen in his eyes directed right at her. "Take him to the van." she ordered.

Chuck focus on Chloe is turned towards two of her henchmen approaching behind her. His attention is turned back to her and as much as he wants to exact his revenge for Sarah he knows he's outnumbered. He has to play it smart in order for Casey and Bryce to come to the rescue. As he escorted to the van, Chloe stands there for a moment looking down at the water with a smirk on her face and then turns to walk back to the van.

XXX

**The Port of Los Angeles - Banning's Landing Center****- Tuesday 11:10 p.m.**

The doors to the dark van immediately open and the first person Chuck sees is Chloe. He is led out of the van at gun point by her leading him to have a questionable look on his face as he stands on the sidewalk in front of the building. "Why are we here?"

"You'll know soon enough." responded Chloe as she glances over to her two henchmen nodding at them.

"Have you contacted The Dealer yet and informed him that I have been released?" asked Klinger.

"In due time Max." she replied. "There are far more important matters to attend right now like the death of one Chuck Bartowski."

"Its not going to be quick is it?" questioned Klinger. "I want him to suffer before he dies." he stated directly looking at Chuck. "You…" Klinger waves his finger at him as gives off a hint of laughter. "…you cost me a job that would have been a big payoff but instead I somehow end up being thwarted by two guys dressed in hospital gowns and sent to a C.I.A. detention center."

"Sucks to be you." responded Chuck.

"What is going to suck…" chimed in Chloe. "…is that you are going to experience a slow excruciating death at the hands of both of us."

"Excellent." Klinger quickly said as a sinister smile appears on his lips. "I need to take all the pent up anger I have been harboring and slowly inflict it on to you."

That's nice to know that Klinger has been thinking about him Chuck thinks to himself. However, its not the good kind of thinking where a person like Klinger doesn't have happy Spongebob type thoughts but ones that gear more towards the movie Natural Born Killer directed by Oliver Stone. As much as he's freaking out inside, he has to stay strong and keep his wits about him, which is what Sarah would say to him.

"I see that group therapy hasn't helped you much." Chuck replied. "Have you tried yoga it works wonders or so I've been told."

Klinger immediately gets in Chuck's face seething with anger. "You think this is funny? After we're through with you we'll be the one's laughing." he emphatically stated expressed a crazed look in his eyes.

"Enough!" hollered Chloe. "Back off Max…" she demanded. "…now!"

Klinger slowly backs off giving him a nod as if it to silently say he has his number. At this point, Chuck turns his attention from Max to Chloe. "Where are the kids?"

"They're inside."

"I swear if any of them are hurt…"

Chloe immediately cuts him off. "They're not."

"How do I know for sure?" he asked.

"You just have to trust me." There is a momentary pause as Chloe and Chuck glare at each other. For Chuck, he has to take his word that Travis' kid are okay because it shows that even though she ruthless in her tactics she wouldn't endanger the lives of 3 kids absolutely adored her. "Let's go." she said.

Chuck suddenly feels two hands firmly placed on either side of his shoulders causing him to wince because of the pressure being applied. He could see from the look on Chloe's face that she is taking absolute pleasure in his discomfort. Its at this point, she motions for the 3 of them to move forward and as he is forced towards the building in front of him he glances to his right seeing a number of men coming out the vans immediately taking their positions outside the facility.

Chloe, Klinger, Chuck, and her two henchmen enter the building through the front glass doors. From the looks of things nobody is around expect for them, which doesn't bode well for him in being able to yell out for assistance. The sound of their footsteps hitting the linoleum floor echo throughout the building as the group heads towards the stairs towards leading up to the second floor.

In Chuck's mind, the walk down the semi-lit hallway leading to the stairs would hopefully not foreshadow what has befallen her late fiancé. When they reach the bottom of stairs, so many thoughts are running through his mind at this point one of them being the thought of Sarah getting shot and the look in her eyes as she fell back into the water. That particular image is thoroughly engrained in his mind and it may be the last images he ever sees.

He tries not to think about it as he's being forcefully lead up the stairs to the second floor. It takes a few seconds but they eventually reach the top. Chuck is then directed to his right towards a long hallway leading to two brown double doors at the very end. Its at this point, he thinks that he's lead to where Travis' kids in order to prove they are okay and few moments they arrive.

Chloe opens the door and as Chuck walks in he expects to see the kids on the other side of the double doors but who he sees is absolutely shocking. "Trav?"

XXX

**The Port of Los Angeles - Banning's Landing Center****- Tuesday 11:15 p.m.**

To his shock Chuck sees not only Travis alive, but Shannon as well. They are both sitting at a conference table with 3 of Chloe's henchmen guarding the two of them. Just behind them several feet away is a large glass window and just above them is a skylight made of glass as well. He immediately rushes over to their side and as he does he notices a door in the corner of the room.

Chuck checks on his thought to be dead teammate who looks badly hurt but first he checks on his wife Shannon. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." she responded. "I'm more worried about Travis."

Chuck turns to check on his buddy. "How are you feeling man? Are you okay?"

"Do I look okay?" he painfully breathed out.

To answer his question, Travis did not look okay at all judging by not only the disoriented look on his face but the dried blood stain that trails down from side of his face near his left eyebrow. It's a apparent he was struck with a very hard object causing him to suffer a considerably bloody gash that somewhat healed up. Plus, he stunk to high heaven. "You reek dude?" Chuck said waving his hand in front of his face.

Travis response was to laugh but when he did that he winced in pain leading Chuck to believe he suffered possible bruised or broken ribs. "Hey, its not my fault I was abducted from my house before I could shower." he answered. "I guess these guys don't mind a stinky hostage." Travis added.

"What happened when I dropped you off at your house this morning?"

"The minute I stepped into the door I saw Shannon being held at gunpoint by some thug." he said holding his side. "When I rushed over there I was immediately hit with a baseball bat to the to my ribs at least twice and then to the side of the my face when I fell to the ground. That's pretty much the last thing I remember." he responded looking at his friend and teammate wincing in pain.

Shannon cuts in. "After they knocked Travis out they immediately took us out the back and a few seconds later the house exploded."

"The NSA cleaners informed us there were two bodies that were found in your house." he said looking at the both of them. "They were unable to identify the bodies found in the house and so…"

"You thought they were us."

Chuck feels a sense of absolute relief that his Travis and his wife Shannon aren't dead after all. Travis has only been on the team for less than a year and to have his life taken away without being able to get know him more not just as a friend but also as a teammate would have devastating. If they were able to make it out alive he would have the opportunity to share with him that Casey considers a friend.

He would relish the moment to see Casey annoyed at Travis giving the burly NSA Agent a hug and to hear him threaten to shoot him if he ever does it again. Then he would imagine him coming after him threatening to do some type of bodily harm because of revealing information said in confidence. Hey, its what a family is all about…a big dysfunctional family but a family nonetheless.

"Yeah."

"Anyways, when I came to a few hours later Shannon was sitting beside in tears telling me over and over she's concerned about our kids." Travis grimaces in pain once again then looks at Chuck to answer another question."

"Where's Casey and Sarah?"

"Casey's is on his way don't you worry about that buddy." Chuck pauses as he gives the bad news to him. "Sarah's dead."

Travis's eyes widen. "What? How? Who?"

"Chloe…" he said turning to look at her. "…she shot her point blank in the chest."

"First off…" said Travis emphatically waving his finger at her. "…you're fired as my nanny."

"Are you serious?" she quickly responded back. "The pay wasn't that good anyways. Do you know how much I had to endure with those 2 brats watching Dora The Explorer and Hanna Montana. And don't get me started on Justin Beiber." the blonde beauty stated holding her gun up waving it around. "There were so many times I just wanted to shoot myself in the head listening to his songs with Leah and Emma." added Chloe. "As for Wesley, he makes realize I never want to have a baby."

"Cry me a river." he quickly spitted out. The anger of a father not man who is part of best team ever assembled sounds off at the woman standing on the other side of the conference table." Where are my kids bitch!" he screamed. "If they are hurt I will come after you with all the strength I have left in my body and I don't care how many of your cronies I have to get through to get to you." threatened Travis.

The absolute effort in putting that much emphasis on what he wanted to know caused him unbearable pain but pushed through it as he continued to glare at her as he breathes hard through his nostrils. Chloe stood there for a brief moment as she just stared back at the man slumped over in the chair in front of him. Even in his weakened state he would defend and possibly die for his kids. Honorable she thinks to herself.

"They're safe for the time being." she said. "They're actually on the other side of that room." Chloe added pointing to a door at her right.

"What now?" questioned Chuck.

"The torture begins…" Chuck attention turns from Chloe to Klinger. "…that's what's now."

Chloe nods at the henchmen that escorted Chuck into the room. They walk over grab chuck and slammed back first on to the table causing him considerable pain. As they hold him down, Travis tries to get up and stop them but is thwarted by Chloe's henchmen forcing him to sit back down.

"Stop!" cried Shannon.

Chuck is in a no win situation at this point and hopes to God Casey and Bryce show up soon or now if he had it his way. It's hard for him to even move because he's pinned tightly down but he still has the use of his head as he attempts to look behind him to see what is going on. From his view point, he sees an upside down Chloe take out a huge bowie knife causing his eyes to bulge out. She then turns to hover a few inches above Chuck face. "I'm going to start by cutting off one of your ears." she says tapping the knife against his left ear.

XXX

**The Port of Los Angeles - Banning's Landing Center****- Conference Room - Tuesday 11:20 p.m.**

Chloe turns and presses the left side of Chuck's face to the right. From his peripheral visions he can see the knife going towards his ear and as he feels the sharp end of the knife press against the lobe of his ear several explosions are not only heard but felt as well. It's at this point, sporadic gunfire is heard leading Chloe to get on horn as she walks up to the window seeing not only all 3 vans in flames but several of her down.

"What the hell is going on!" she screamed into the radio.

"We're under attack ma'am!" responds a frantic voice on the other end.

"By who?"

"Casey…" stated Chuck lifting his head with a smirk on his face. "…that's who. He's been unleashed."

Chloe is clearly pissed up causing her to grip the bowie knife tightly in her right hand. She walk over to Chuck still pinned down by her two men with bad intentions on her when the double doors are suddenly kicked in. Everyone in the room turn their attention to the man standing at the doorway as they two words being scream out. "Federal Agent!"

"Bryce!" stated a relieved Chuck.

The woman behind the entire operation immediately throws the bowie knife directly at Bryce but he moves out of just in the nick of time as it sticks a few inches away from his right ear. Bryce take a quick look at the knife embedded in the door and then lunges forward to his right firing at will. All out chaos ensues within the room as gunfire is returned towards Bryce's direction by Chloe and 4 of her henchmen. It because of the brief distraction Chuck is freed. He immediately grabs Travis and Shannon in order to push them under the table.

He is about to go underneath with them when he's pulled back and then punched in the face by Klinger. Chuck stumbles back towards the window away from the gunfire and in his somewhat disoriented state he turns nearly falling down but is able to regain his balance. However, he suddenly finds himself in a choke hold and from the reflection in the window its Klinger with a look of death in his eyes.

The tighter the hold the more he finds himself slowly passing out by the lack of oxygen. Chuck comes close to being knocked when he's suddenly released to where he's is down on the floor. He shakes his head getting some much needed breathe in his lungs and when he looks back he sees that Travis has jumped on Klinger's back attempting to do the same thing Klinger did on him.

However, in his weakened state he's not making much headway as he's flipped over slammed back first on to the floor and then repeatedly punched in the ribs. Chuck takes action rushing over and tackling Klinger. A struggle between the men ensues but the man that leaves the calling card of the ace of spades overpowers him and has both hands tightly around his neck chocking him out.

Chuck does his best to fight it but he finds himself slowly but surely losing consciousness. He can see the absolute pleasure in Klinger's face as he's choking the life out of him but all that ends when Klinger suddenly falls over to the side. Once again, Chuck escapes having his lights permanently go out and as his vision clears he turn to his right to see Klinger dead as a doornail with a gunshot wound to his right temple.

He turns his head to see not one but several bullet holes through the window. "Thanks Casey." he coughed out.

As he lies there for a moment, he suddenly sees Bryce kneeling over him. "You all right Chuck?"

"Yeah." he responded. Bryce helps Chuck up and from the looks of things Casey was able to take out everyone in the room. However, the one person he doesn't see laying dead on the ground is Chloe. He sees the door in the corner of the room wide open telling him she escaped to terrorize them another day. "Chloe escaped."

"The chick that threw the knife at me." said Bryce. "Do we go after her?"

"Let her go. She's probably long gone by now." he said heading towards the double doors. "Bryce help Travis and Shannon." he stated "The kids are in the room over there." he said pointing at the door to his right. Chuck heads out the double the doors but before he leaves Bryce he hollers at him. "Where are you going!"

"I'm going to find Casey." he quickly retorted. and then disappears out of sight.

XXX

**Port of Los Angeles Tuesday 11:30 p.m.**

"Bryce, where's Chuck!" screamed Casey running across the dock holding a handgun in his right hand, a MK Sniper Rifle strapped on his back, and wearing black tactical gear.

The burly NSA agent runs up to Bryce who is assisting Travis in order to keep him on his feet as they, along with his family, are running towards him. Casey sees that the 4th member of Team Chuck Travis Riley is badly injured and looking considerably weak as he has trouble standing upright. His wife Shannon, who is carrying their baby son Wesley, is following close behind with her two daughters in tow exuding a look of fear, disbelief, and uncertainty as to what is happening around them.

"He's not with you!" screamed back Bryce. "Chuck told me he was going to find you!" he adds.

Casey quickly reaches Bryce who immediately stops and slowly eases Travis on the ground in between the two men. They both see that he's trying to get up even in his injured state.

"I got to go help Chuck." he painfully said in his disoriented state.

"No, you're not." Bryce responded. "We're going to get you some help man. Just lie still." he quickly added glancing up at Travis' wife.

Suddenly, Bryce points immediately points behind Casey leading him to turning around. As he turns around, he spots Chuck in the distance frantically running up an orange crane that has two arms extending above the water. From the look of how high the monstrous structure is he surmises that its around 50-100ft high and that is where Chuck is possibly going to end up.

"Stay with him!" ordered Casey looking directly at Bryce.

As Casey sprints towards Chuck's direction, Chuck is frantically running up the monstrous orange crane trying his best not to get shot by Chloe as she's right on his tail. He eventually reaches the top he quickly glances over the side and sees how high he is above the ground as the wind whirls around him. "Oh boy!" he muttered to himself as he grips the side of the rail.

Chuck's attention concerning how high he is interrupted by the sound of Chloe screaming his name. He makes his way towards the far end of the orange crane's arm and takes cover behind a post. He considers himself safe but that quickly ends as several shots are fired at him nearly hitting him. Chuck can hear Chloe reloading a new clip into her weapon giving him the opportunity to move but when steps forward he trips and falls in clear view of the assassin.

"Why are you making this so difficult Chuck?" questioned Chloe aiming her weapon at her intended target.

"Sorry…" he answered slowly backing up. "…I'm allergic to bullets and dying for that matter."

"Well Chuck I may not have been able to take out Casey but I sure as hell will take you right now." she said stepping forward pulling the trigger.

From Casey's point of view, he sees Chuck's body fall to the water below. He immediately springs to his feet, jumps off the metal crate, running full force, drops his weapon at the edge of the dock, and swims over to the area of the water where he fell into. He takes a deep breathe and dives down. Seconds pass by but there is no sign whatsoever of Casey retrieving Chuck from under the water. The stillness of the water is eerily haunting but is suddenly disrupted as Casey right hand shoots out of the water.

He has his left arm under his left arm and over his chest as he swims him over to a wooden dock just below the concrete dock. "Hold on I got you!" he struggled to say considerably out of breathe.

Casey eventually reaches the wooden dock. As tired as he is, he pushes with all his strength Chuck's body on to it. He pulls himself up and immediately checks his life signs and for breathing, which there are none. He does see a bullet graze to the right side of his forehead near his temple. Its at this point, he begins C.P.R. because there is no pulse and he's not breathing. As this is happening, Casey is screaming at Chuck.

"Don't you die on me Bartowski!" he screamed. The chest compressions and breathes continue as a number of sirens are heard in the distance.

XXX

_**NOTE: HOPE YOU ENJOYED READING THIS CHAPTER. AS USUAL PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT.**_


	22. The Aftermath

**The Port of Los Angeles - The Dock - Tuesday 11:35 p.m.**

Casey continues to perform CPR on check and so far he hasn't responded in any way. A look of determination resonates on his face as he switches from chest compressions to rescue breathing. The soaking wet NSA agent doesn't relent on his efforts in bringing back to life his fallen teammate. Its at this point, he flashes back on the relationship between he and Chuck run through his mind starting involving their first meeting.

_Chuck Bartowski is your mark. NSA Director wants him with a pulse. When we find out find out who he's working with and what he knows he lives. C.I.A. Skirt you can kill._

At the time, he thought it was going to be an easy job. Get in get out, get a tan because he felt a bit pasty and possibly kill a C.I.A. agent in the process. He already shot and killed on already so why not another one. It didn't turn out that way as Sarah made it truly difficult for him to get Chuck taking out a couple of her men and then escaping with Chuck.

The chase was on and for a while they made it rather fun for him as he eventually caught up to the two as he and Sarah stood atop a helipad.

_"It's late. I'm tired. Let's cut the crap and give it to me now. He belongs to the NSA."_

_"C.I.A. gets him first." Sarah said aiming her weapon at Casey. "You come any closer and I shoot."_

_"Sarah I'm freaking out." Chuck frantically said._

_"You shoot him I shoot you. I lay both your bodies here and got out for a late snack. I'm thinking maybe pancakes." Casey responded._

_"They're going to kill him."_

_"Kill who!" questioned Casey._

_"Standfield. The General. The NATO guy." Chuck quickly spitted out. "Something is wrong with me. I don't know what it is but something is very very wrong with me and I'm remembering things that I shouldn't of."_

_"Okay Chuck talk me." stated Sarah. "Like what?"_

_"I don't know." he said. "For example there was a Serbian Demolitions expert at the Large Mart today that's kind of odd wouldn't you say?" questioned Chuck to the two agents in front of him. "Look last week the NSA intercepted blue prints, blue prints of that hotel." stated Chuck pointing behind him. "Now the C.I.A. find a file of schematics of a bomb in Prague. The bomb is in that hotel." he spits out._

_The minute he hears that, his weapon is directly aimed at Chuck. "He was working with Bryce." he grunted._

At that moment, he felt the urge to just shoot Chuck but the problem was Sarah had her weapon directly aimed at him. A standoff ensued. As much as he wanted to just eliminate the two of them leaving their bodies on the helipad, call the NSA cleaners over to the hotel, and grab some pancakes for a late night snack he decided to listen to not only Chuck but Sarah as well.

_"No he read Bryce's email." she emphatically stated. "Chuck those pictures that you saw were encoded with secrets…government secrets. If you saw them then you know them."_

_"There were thousands of them."_

_"Wait a minute." said Casey. "You're telling me all our secrets are in his head." he says aiming the laser sight directly at Chuck's head._

_"Chuck is the computer." Sarah firmly stated._

_"What did you say? What does that mean?" asked a confused and frantic Chuck._

_"You have to listen to me. You have to tell…"_

_"What is happening to me!" screamed Chuck cutting off Sarah in mid sentence._

_"You said this was a bomb is there time to stop it?"_

_"What? Are you crazy!" he frantically asked looking at Casey then at Sarah._

_"No, we're the good guys." Casey firmly said. "We get paid to keep bombs from exploding."_

_"Look I can't help you. I wish I really could but I can't. Call Bryce he's the guy that can save the day."_

_"Bryce is dead!" she spitted out. "He died sending those secrets to you."_

There was a brief lull where he remember Chuck looking at Sarah after telling him that Bryce is dead. It looked like he was about to either he, Sarah, or both of them were going to cry. At the time, he thought Chuck would not only shed a tear but quite possibly have a nervous break down on top of that helipad. It was at that point, he brought the two of them back to reality by shooting his weapon in the air.

_"Yeah he's gonna have a lot of company if you don't start talking. So pretty please. Can we defuse the bomb now?"_

Time was of the essence and it was an absolute foot race to get to Stanfield before the bomb blew. They eventually arrive and as soon as they entered the conference area the three of them scanned area for the possible location of the bomb. It was Chuck who would ultimately find it situated in the middle of room and when they open it up the time was dwindled down fast.

_"No time to evacuate." he said. "Ideas?"_

_"Disconnect the lap top." suggested Sarah._

He and Sarah quickly looked over the bomb trying to figure out to disarm it. It was at that point, agents swarmed their location and he quickly informed one of them about the bomb. He told him to get the General out while they deal with the bomb. In his mind, there wasn't any other options except to rely on a civilian with government secrets in his head.

_"Okay I have an idea."_

_"That's not an Xbox and you're not an X-men." gruffly stated Casey grabbing both his hands._

_"I understand that but this is a Prism Express Laptop. We sell this at our store. It has a DOS override." he nervously responded looking at he and Sarah. "I think I can do this. I can do this please."_

_"He's our best shot." she stated looking at Casey._

It was a gamble but he let go of Chuck to do his thing. Time was quickly running out as he and Sarah watched as Chuck typing away at the computer. As he was typing, he heard him say something about the bomb meeting someone and that someone was the internet. He didn't have any what the nerd was doing until he saw him type in Irene Demova causing him to say out loud that he's searching for porn.

He watches as he gets focuses his attention on a specific link and in a matter of second he presses enter. In that moment, the computer crashes due to the link and then witnesses Chuck celebrate in victory after defusing his first bomb. By the look on his face, he questions himself if he ended up making the wrong decision and that's when he suggested not to puke on the C-4.

Even though the situation was defused, the bomber escaped. He would find him but there were far more important things to attend to like who gets Chuck. In his mind, the kid was clearly coming with him no matter what Sarah says because quite frankly it's a National Security matter. As they stood outside looking at each other, they both knew neither of them were going to back down.

_"He's coming with me." stated Casey and Sarah in unison._

_"What if this was a fluke?"_

_"And what if it wasn't?" she retorted back. "What if he can stop something bigger?"_

_"Fine. We'll drop him in a psyche tank and let him stare at 4 rubber walls for a decade. He'll tell us what we need to know."_

_"Casey we don't know how this works. What trigger the memories. He'll crack wide open." she said with concern._

_"Not my job." he emphatically stated. "I break things I don't fix them."_

_"What about his job? His friends? And what do we about his sister?" questions Sarah._

_"What about my sister?" asked Chuck. "Hold on a second. You have to leave my family and my friends out of this."_

_"We'll see." said Casey._

_"Bryce sent that email to me." Chucks said looking at Sarah and then Casey. "I'm the one remembering your secrets, which means you have to listen to me. Both of you. And right now I'm going home." he said turning around._

_"No you're not." responds the NSA agent grabbing Chuck's shirt sleeve._

_"You…" he said pointing at both agents. "…you need me."_

He had to hand it to Chuck for standing his ground and as freaked out as he was he ran into danger knowing full well he didn't have to. For the past 3 and half years, Chuck has been doing that and he's not going to stop know now as he continues CPR. He suddenly sees water spew out of Chuck's mouth leading him to roll to his right and as soon as he does Bryce appears with medics in two."

XXX

**Government Medical Facility - Waiting Room - Wednesday 12:30 a.m.**

Bryce and Casey were able to help the medics place Chuck and Travis on gurneys. They were both placed into the ambulances with Shannon and baby riding along with him as they were transported to the nearest C.I.A./N.S.A. medical facility. Since they was no room in the ambulance for all of them so Leah and Emma hitched a ride with Casey and Bryce.

The minute they stepped into the medical facility they carted off Chuck and Travis to receive medical attention. Casey and Bryce tried their best to reassure Shannon that her husband would be okay even though they didn't know how to personally deal with someone who is emotional. All they could do was give some encouraging words and a pat on the shoulder instead of hug.

Bryce offered to take Leah and Emma to the cafeteria for some ice cream while the nursing staff took care of Wesley giving Shannon the opportunity to be at the side of her husband. It also gave Casey the opportunity to briefly speak with Travis. After 30 minutes all three came back to the waiting room with ice cream cones in hand but for Bryce he had two one being for him the other for Casey.

When he returned to the waiting room, Bryce offered him an Oreo ice cream to which he begrudgingly took after he told him that Leah and Emma picked it out for him. All 4 of them sat in the waiting room devouring their ice cream cones Leah and Emma watched tv till the fell asleep leaving Casey and Bryce to stand around. For a brief moment it is quiet between the two of them but its Bryce who takes the initiative to break the silence and speak up.

"How are they're both doing?" asked Bryce in the waiting room of the medical facility.

"Travis is going to live." responded Casey. "He suffered a possible concussion to his head and several broken ribs." he added.

"You should have seen him though. Even in his weakened condition he jumped into action broken ribs and all." he said. "He saved Chuck from possibly getting his neck broken."

"He's a tough kid and in my book he did a good job."

"What about me?" asked Bryce.

"What about you?"

"How did I do?" he inquired expressing a wry smile.

"You didn't get any of my team killed. Be glad or you would have answered to me Larkin." he firmly stated.

At least its something he thinks to himself because Bryce knows Casey will never outright thank someone or congratulate someone for doing a good job. His thoughts immediately turn to the status of his former roommate. "And Chuck? How is he is doing?"

"According to the doctor he's stable but unconscious. He was under the water for a number of minutes but I was able perform CPR getting the water out of his lungs." he said. "There's no telling how it may have effected him internally."

"At least you were able to save him Casey. That's all that counts." he said putting his hand on his right shoulder."

"Hand." grunts Casey.

Bryce immediately takes his hand off of Casey's right shoulder upon him saying that. Even though, he and Casey don't see eye to eye they are able to work together in some capacity to save Chuck, Travis, and Shannon. However, the one question that bogs his mind is concerning the whereabouts of Sarah. According to Casey, the NSA cleaners found her Porsche at the location where Casey stated but sign of Sarah.

Upon saying that, they both hear the elevator ding and leading the doors to open. As they turn to see who it is, they both witness Sarah emerge from the elevator leading the two men to suddenly stand. "Sarah." said both men in unison.

XXX

**Government Medical Facility - Waiting Room - Wednesday 12:45 a.m.**

A visibly shivering Sarah sits in the waiting room covered in a blank. Casey appears holding a cup of coffee in his right hand and hands it over to Sarah who leans hunching forward in order to take a small sip giving her a bit of warmth. As she sits there for a moment trying to not only decompress from all that she's been through but trying to gather her thoughts as well. After a moments, she looks directly at Casey.

"Where's Chuck?"

"He's fine." responds Casey with his arms crossed. "The doctors will tell us when we can go see him."

For a brief moment Sarah looks up staring directly into Casey's eyes. Sarah has been able to read him for quite some time and being his partner for the past 3 and half years she could be able to know whether he was telling the truth or not. She knew there were tell tale signs that she would be able to notice but at this particular time he wasn't hiding anything. He's telling the truth she thinks to herself.

"Thanks God." she said briefly closing her eyes taking in a deep breathe.

"What happened to you and where have you been?" asked Bryce sitting down next to Sarah.

"From what I can remember the exchange was about to go down but then I got shot point blank in the chest and before I feel back into the water I looked in Chuck's eyes." she said. "I saw absolute shock and horror in them."

"How are you still alive?" wondered Bryce.

Sarah drops the blanket covered around her to show her dark zipped hooded sweatshirt filled with several bullet holes centered around the chest area. The two men watch as she zips the sweatshirt down to see the shirt she's wearing underneath in the same fashion. She then tears a part of the hole that the bullet hole made to reveal a type of form fitting bullet proof vest that is easily concealed underneath her clothing.

"Did Chuck know?" asked Casey.

"No." she responded shaking her head. "While he was taking a shower earlier in the morning I put it on. I should have told him before we went to make the exchange but we were all focused on some many things." added Sarah.

"It's not your fault." said Bryce. "So where were you?"

"I guess the current of the water sent me down stream somewhere. When I came to I found myself lying on an embankment and that's where I passed out for a while. I came to a couple of hours later." she said. "So what did I miss?"

"Travis and Shannon are alive." stated Casey.

The news that Travis and Shannon are in fact alive was another piece of good news that she heard. The emotional, mental, and physical turmoil she has been through since early this morning brought back a sense of relief to the point where she didn't have to worry anymore about another challenge in which Casey and Chuck have to find another way out of Severs traps.

"Hey everything worked out in the end. We got 2 bad guys for the price of one."

"What are you talking about?" inquired the beautiful blonde turning to her former partner.

"Well Casey here…" Bryce points up at Casey. "…took Klinger out with his sniper skills. You should of seen it. He went down just like that and he was nearly coming close to choking out Chuck too."

The blonde agent lifts her head up to face her partner expressing her gratitude by giving a head nod his way. Casey reciprocates by giving back a grunt worthy response with a nod as well. "So the other guy…" she said. "…was it Severs?"

"No, it wasn't." responded Casey. "Apparently, the person behind the whole thing is Chloe."

Sarah eyes widen upon hearing that. In her mind, the last person she would ever think of putting together a diabolical plan such as that is Chloe. "What!" said an astonished Sarah. "It can't be. Are you sure?"

"Affirmative." responded Casey. Casey back up in order to take a sit across from her. He looks directly at her as he shares the information that he knows. "Chloe tried to kill Chuck and he possibly give us more information when he wakes up."

"She didn't but nearly came close to doing it too." blurted out Bryce.

"What do you mean she nearly came close to doing it." she quickly asked with concern. "I thought you told me he was fine?"

Casey glares at Bryce a give him you're such an idiot look towards him. "He is." Casey pauses for a moment. "He was shot but it only grazed him that's the good news."

"If that's the good news then what's the bad news." she said look back and forth at both men with concern.

"He fell from a crane and into the water. Casey was able to get to him in time and perform C.P.R." responded Bryce.

Sarah immediately stands up staring straight at Casey. "You told me he's fine!"

Casey slowly stands up and looks at Sarah eye to eye. "He is and from what the doctors told me he is in stable condition but he's unconscious right now." he calmly answered.

"He better be okay Casey." she said staring at him. "I mean it."

"He will be Walker." stated Casey in a reassuring manner. As soon as he said that, Casey's cell phone rings and upon answering it the seriousness grew even tighter on his face as he looks at Bryce and Sarah standing in front of him saying only two words. "Yes General."

XXX

**Government Medical Facility - Waiting Room - Wednesday 1:00 a.m.**

After Sarah receiving a pair of scrubs from the nursing staff she changed from her clothes that were soaking wet and joined Bryce and Casey in a conference room where all 3 would talk privately with General Beckman. She was obviously tipped off once she heard the news that NSA cleaners were dispatched to the Port of Los Angeles and that one of the bodies found there was none other than Maxwell Klinger.

Needless to say they received a tongue lashing the minute she popped up on screen. The absolute anger and disappointment she directed towards the 3 agents was something they were prepared for. However, what they weren't prepared for the punishment each of them were clearly expecting which was no punishment at all. It came as a complete surprise to them leading Sarah to wonder why.

"Simple Agent Walker." Beckman stated. "Dead Man's Hand has been dealt a severe blow to their organization. Klinger, Templar, and from what Agent Casey was able to find out from a very much alive Mr. Riley is that the young woman named Chloe Rogers was behind the whole thing."

"What about Elliot Severs?" asked Bryce.

"My people were able to gather more information concerning Elliot Severs." she replied.

"And?" Sarah asked.

"He died of Pancreatic Cancer about 8 months ago. The NSA cleaners obtained Ms. Rogers phone and immediately uploaded the information for my people to go over." she firmly stated. "From what they were able to find out is that she placed calls to several different numbers but one number specifically."

"Where General?" inquired Bryce.

"To a private clinic in Italy that provides top notch dialysis treatment which is very expensive."

"So that means Chloe would have a hidden account."

"Correct Agent Walker."

"Payments started as early as 2005 and it was always paid in cash."

"The assassination in 2004 must have been Severs' last job before Chloe took over."

"Only speculation Agent Larkin. We don't know that for sure." Bryce nods as all 3 agents continue listening to Beckman. "Despite the tactics used in this rogue mission in which my signature was forged…" Beckman gives a stern look towards Bryce. "…which I hope will not happen again."

"It won't General." he quickly stated. "First and last time I assure you."

"Good." she stated eyeing the 3 agents. "Give my regards to Mr. Bartowski and Mr. Riley on a speedy recovery." said Beckman as the screen turns off.

XXX

**Government Medical Facility - Chuck's Room - Wednesday 6:00 a.m.**

Casey, Sarah and Bryce breathe a sigh of relief after speaking with Beckman. They dodged a bullet and avoided being severely punished. The worst is over leaving Sarah to now be at Chuck side. She stayed closed to Chuck never leaving his side to the point where she slept in a chair with her head resting on the side of his bed and holding his hand. She slowly awoke to find Casey quietly standing on the other side of the bed with a cup of coffee his hand.

Sarah rubs her eyes as she speaks to her partner. "How long have you been standing there?" she whispered.

"Not long." he responded back. "Here, I thought you might need this." he said handing Sarah a cup of coffee.

She reaches over taking the cup of coffee and takes a sip. "Thanks." Casey gives a simple grunt that Sarah interprets as no problem. After taking another sip, the C.I.A. Agent looks up at Casey for just a moment leading him to responds.

"What?"

"I just wanted to say thanks for saving Chuck."

"I had no choice." he said. "If your idiot fiancé died then who would I yell at every day."

Sarah responds with a hint of laughter. "What about Travis?"

"It's not the same."

A hint of smile appears after hearing his response. There is a brief pause as they both look at Chuck laying comforting in his bed. "You're a hero you know. I am eternally gradually for what you did."

"I'm not the hero." Casey says shaking his head. "Bartowski is. I'm proud of him for stepping up when it counted and if you tell him that I will deny ever saying it."

Sarah looks up at Casey to see him express a hint of a smile on his face. The moment between the two of them is suddenly interrupted by the sound of stirring come from Chuck. The stir causes Sarah to quick stand up as she sees Chuck slowly opens his eye from his slumber and after taking a few seconds to gather himself he looks up a the two people standing in front of him.

"Chuck…" she said reaching over to hold his hand. "…you're safe and sound. How are you feeling?"

"Fine." he gruffly replied.

"Glad you're still alive Bartowski." Casey grunted. "I would have killed you if you weren't." he added with a smirk on his face.

Chuck looks at the Casey and then Sarah who he sees is holding her hand. "Can I ask you a question?" he asked looking up at Sarah.

"Yeah, what is it." she says leaning over him with a very wide smile on his face."

"Who are you…? A look of disbelief quickly appears on Sarah's face as she quickly glances at Casey then turns her attention back to the man she loves. "…and who is Chuck?"

**TO BE CONTINUED...**

XXX

_**NOTE: SO WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE END OF VS. THE GAUNTLET? AS USUAL PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT. THE NEXT STORY WILL BE CHUCK VS. THE CEREBRAL ASSASSIN.**_


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